Current Series
3 game series vs Phillies @ Citizens Bank Park
| Fri 06/01 | WP: Kyle Kendrick (2 - 4) SV: Jonathan Papelbon LP: Mark Buehrle (5 - 5) | 4 - 6 loss |
| Sat 06/02 | WP: Ricky Nolasco (6 - 3) SV: Heath Bell LP: Cole Hamels (8 - 2) | 5 - 4 win |
Miami Marlins Sunday, Jun 3, 2012, 1:35 PM EDT Carlos Zambrano vs Joe Blanton Partly cloudy. Winds blowing out to right field at 10-20 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 80.
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The Miami Marlins probably were not supposed to win yesterday's 5-4 game against the Philadelphia Phillies, but a pair of Hanley Ramirez home runs bailed the Fish out of an otherwise strong outing by Cole Hamels. Today, the Marlins get an easier assignment, as they line up to face Joe Blanton in the series finale in Citizens Bank Park. The Marlins will counter with Carlos Zambrano on this windy Philadelphia afternoon, and Zambrano himself is looking to recover from a couple of bad starts.
Pitching Matchup
| Proj Win% | Proj ERA | FIP | ERA | Marlins | Phillies | ERA | FIP | Proj ERA | Proj Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .474 | 4.18 | 3.89 | 3.00 | Zambrano | Blanton | 5.05 | 4.20 | 4.50 | .440 |
Carlos Zambrano came off a decent start against the Washington Nationals in which he struck out five and walked only two. Ozzie Guillen pulled him too late and allowed a more fatigued Zambrano to do some damage on the way out, much like Guillen did yesterday afternoon. Zambrano has looked mostly like his usual self, except that he is getting more ground balls than he did in seasons past. He looks to suppress the Phillies lineup today, which has been a tough task for the Marlins in this series.
Joe Blanton has a really difficult time holding off home runs. Ever since he moved to Philadelphia after being traded from the Oakland Athletics, he has allowed homers of 13.0 percent of his fly balls, which I suppose is not all that surprising given the relative differences of Oakland's and Philadelphia's home parks. Still, the rest of Blanton's game has improved, as he upped his strikeout rate and dropped his walk rate since arriving in Philly. Still, he has struggled, and he is going up against a Marlins offense with a few sluggers capable of launching them out of the park.
Lineup
| Order | Player | Proj wOBA vs. RHP |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jose Reyes | .350 |
| 2 | Omar Infante | .321 |
| 3 | Hanley Ramirez | .354 |
| 4 | Giancarlo Stanton | .385 |
| 5 | Greg Dobbs | .291 |
| 6 | Logan Morrison | .350 |
| 7 | John Buck | .300 |
| 8 | Chris Coghlan | .320 |
The Marlins are going with this lineup for today's game. It seems the team has once again fallen in love with Chris Coghlan due to him having a slew of hits and one home run in an otherwise mediocre performance since being recalled. The player who suffers here is Bryan Petersen, who again gets to ride the bench even though he is a better defender and comparable hitter compared to Coghlan. Greg Dobbs starts in left field against the righty Blanton, if only to find a spot for his amazing professional hitting capabilities; when you have a .279/.329/.353 hitter (.297 wOBA) who is a lifetime .269/.305/.403 hitter (.308 wOBA) on your team, you just have to bat him fifth in your lineup.
Notes
- Remember when Phillies' reliever Jose Contreras was pulled from Friday night's game? It turns out that was a serious injury, as Contreras pulled a tendon and ligament and is out for the rest of the season. Ouch.
Bold Prediction: Marlins def. Phillies 5-4