:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60529485/167277170.0.0.0.jpg)
Current Series
3 game series vs Mets @ Marlins Park
Monday, Apr 29, 2013, 7:10 PM EDT Partly cloudy,rain. Winds blowing in from center field at 5-15 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 80.
Complete Coverage > | ||
| Tue 04/30 | 7:10 PM EDT | |
| Wed 05/01 | 12:40 PM EDT | |
The Miami Marlins and New York Mets will battle in an intra-divisional matchup, but the most important thing about this particular is all about the pitching. The Marlins will send (struggling) rookie phenom Jose Fernandez versus the Mets' top pitching prospect Matt Harvey, who has been stellar throughout the year.
Pitching Matchup
| Proj Win% | Proj ERA | FIP | ERA | Marlins | Mets | ERA | FIP | Proj ERA | Proj Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .523 | 3.76 | 3.10 | 4.50 | Fernandez | Harvey | 1.54 | 2.37 | 3.75 | .524 |
You cannot get a more even matchup than that one. Fernandez and Harvey are projected to be almost exactly the same going forward by ZiPS, and that is a good sign for the Marlins, because Fernandez has not looked great in his last two starts. In those starts, he threw nine innings with six strikeouts and five walks, and he gave up nine runs, including his first career home run in the majors. His swinging strike rate, despite superb stuff, is at just 7.1 percent for the season, which is no way to continue racking up strikeouts.
Matt Harvey, on the other hand, has been almost perfect all year. He is striking out more than a batter per inning and walked just 10 in 35 innings of work (five starts). If he continues this pace, Cy Young talk is not out of the question, which is scary given that he is just 24 years old. He could be the next big thing in a Mets uniform.
Lineup
| Order | Player | Proj wOBA vs. RHP |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Juan Pierre | .301 |
| 2 | Donovan Solano | .277 |
| 3 | Giancarlo Stanton | .402 |
| 4 | Placido Polanco | .281 |
| 5 | Greg Dobbs | .286 |
| 6 | Justin Ruggiano | .314 |
| 7 | Rob Brantly | .302 |
| 8 | Nick Green | --- |
It is once again time for the Placido Polanco cleanup train! Polanco has hit .333/.368/.444 in 19 plate appearances batting fourth, so he must be doing something right offensively for the time being. Well, that or he's just getting lucky with a .353 BABIP. Nevertheless, you know someone in the Marlins' organization has put an undue amount of emphasis on a stat that trivial and is keeping him there despite the obvious choice of Justin Ruggiano sitting further down in the lineup.
Bold Prediction: Marlins def. Mets 2-1