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Get out the broom breakers, because the Miami Marlins are looking to bust up a sweep.
The Marlins are looking to avoid a second straight sweep and their seventh straight loss as they battle the Philadelphia Phillies in the finale of a three-game set. The Fish will send out Henderson Alvarez to the mound to face known Marlins killer Kyle Kendrick,
Pitching Matchup
| PROJ ERA | FIP | ERA | MARLINS | PHILLIES | ERA | FIP | PROJ ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.00 | 3.42 | 4.15 | Alvarez | Kendrick | 3.75 | 4.93 | 4.36 |
Alvarez was working through a decent start last time out versus the Washington Nationals on Tuesday before he ran into some minor two-out trouble that ended up costing him the game. He is looking to get back on track after a rough start to the season. Kendrick is as well, after he was roughed up by the Milwaukee Brewers last time out. He picked a good team to do it against, as Kendrick has pitched well against the Fish in the past. He owns a career 3.48 ERA against Miami in 21 appearances (16 starts), but he's only struck out 15.7 percent of Marlins in the past. The Marlins have hit just .285 on balls in play against Kendrick, which seems to be the only explanation for their problems.
Lineup
| PROJ WOBA | WOBA | MARLINS | PHILLIES | WOBA | PROJ WOBA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .329 | .324 | Christian Yelich | Tony Gwynn Jr. | .343 | .274 |
| .281 | .387 | Adeiny Hechavarria | Jimmy Rollins | .413 | .316 |
| .386 | .420 | Giancarlo Stanton | Chase Utley | .562 | .358 |
| .319 | .253 | Garrett Jones | Ryan Howard | .318 | .328 |
| .314 | .350 | Casey McGehee | Marlon Byrd | .295 | .334 |
| .329 | .363 | Marcell Ozuna | Domonic Brown | .315 | .357 |
| .299 | .242 | Jeff Baker | Wil Nieves | --- | .251 |
| .258 | .264 | Jeff Mathis | Cody Asche | .304 | .302 |
I made fun of the Phillies lineup a few days ago, but Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins are dominating right now, and I would not want to face either guy at the moment. Ryan Howard, on the other hand, should still be free.
Meanwhile, on our side, the Marlins are starting known lefty-only masher Jeff Baker over Donovan Solano at second base for the injured Derek Dietrich. Dietrich should only be out for a few more days, but the Fish are throwing away PA on a guy who cannot hit same-handed pitchers.
Notes
- I'll be here for this one after a few missed games due to work.
Bold Prediction: Marlins def. Phillies 3-2