Current Series
Rays lead the series 1-0
| Fri 06/08 | WP: Burke Badenhop (1 - 1) LP: Ricky Nolasco (6 - 4) | 1 - 5 loss |
Tampa Bay Rays Saturday, Jun 9, 2012, 7:15 PM EDT Matt Moore vs Carlos Zambrano Partly cloudy,rain. Winds blowing in from center field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 85.
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| Sun 06/10 | 1:10 PM EDT | |
The Miami Marlins' offensive struggles continued last night in their 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, but hopefully things are looking up for the team as they head into a major game on national television. That's right, the Marlins are a part of FOX's " Baseball Night in America" primetime showing as they take on the Rays at home in the second game of their three-game set. And as with all Saturday national showings for the Fish, this will be another Double Ichthy Points opportunity for Ichthyomancy players. Here is an opportunity for you to get back into the game after three slow evenings.
Pitching Matchup
| Proj Win% | Proj ERA | FIP | ERA | Marlins | Braves | ERA | FIP | Proj ERA | Proj Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .487 | 4.07 | 3.70 | 2.81 | Zambrano | Moore | 4.45 | 4.76 | 4.13 | .480 |
This is a battle of a grizzled veteran without overpowering stuff versus a top prospect lefty with mediocre results thus far. Carlos Zambrano has revived his career after a tenuous departure from Chicago, and I would like to think that the environment of the Miami Marlins has helped him do that. Zambrano's 2.81 ERA may not be totally indicative of his performance, and his .237 BABIP is sure to rise going forward, but with the return of his ability to suppress homers and induce ground balls, there is no reason to suspect a large fall off from here until the end of the season. Zambrano has reinvented himself again a solid major league starter.
Matt Moore signed a long-term deal with the Rays before he threw more 10 innings in a regular major league season. He has not impressed thus far in 2012, as his mediocre ERA and FIP would indicate. He also does not induce a lot of grounders, at only 38 percent to start the year. This is bad because he does give up a decent number of home runs (12.6 percent HR/FB rate for his career), and he needs to either suppress more of those or find that dominant strikeout stuff that made him an elite starter in the minors. Here's hoping he does not find it against the Marlins.
Lineup
| Order | Player | Proj wOBA vs. LHP |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jose Reyes | .350 |
| 2 | Omar Infante | .331 |
| 3 | Hanley Ramirez | .373 |
| 4 | Giancarlo Stanton | .408 |
| 5 | Justin Ruggiano | .315 |
| 6 | Austin Kearns | .326 |
| 7 | Donovan Solano | -- |
| 8 | John Buck | .313 |
This is the second night in a row in which Logan Morrison will be absent from the lineup, as Morrison will sit against the lefty Moore in favor of Donovan Solano and Austin Kearns. Kearns being moved to first base is also telling, because last night he looked hobbled returning from a hamstring injury and did not field his position in the outfield very well. In order to protect him on defense and keep his right-handed bat in the lineup, the Marlins will leave him at first base today. After a hot start this season, his projection looks at least adequate versus lefties.
Notes
- This is a big night in Miami sports. Not only are the Marlins and Rays on primetime baseball on national TV for the first time, but the Miami Heat are hosting a Game Seven of their Eastern Conference Championship Series against the Boston Celtics. South Florida is the center of sports tonight.
- You may not want to read about last night's game from a Rays perspective, but the intro to this recap at DRaysBay was fun.
- MrNegative1 of DRaysBay asks just who is the real Ben Zobrist?
- Just a reminder again, all correct picks tonight are worth double the points. All incorrect non-attendance picks are worth -1 point. Have at it, Ichthyomancers!
Bold Prediction: Marlins def. Rays 3-2