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Without a doubt, the Marlins are riding high after an eventful Jose day victory, completing a three-game series sweep over the world champs. However, the Cubs are also coming off of a sweep against the Mets in New York earlier this week.
Pitching Matchup
| K/BB | FIP | ERA | Marlins | Cubs | ERA | FIP | K/BB |
| 2.07 | 4.54 | 3.66 | Koehler | Hammel | 2.92 | 2.90 | 5.82 |
Tom Koehler (6-4) and Jason Hammel (5-3) differ when it comes to pitching styles. While Hammel has developed into a strikeout pitcher, Koehler induces ground balls at a high rate. Hammel has undoubtably been a better pitcher this year, but Koehler has stood as a reliable piece in Miami's rotation. While Koehler has been dominant at home, he possesses a 6.21 road ERA.
The Marlins have been surprisingly effective on offense without Giancarlo Stanton. Their 4-1 record has been fueled by the hot bat of Christian Yelich (.529 in last 7 days). Yelich is batting in the two spot, where he is batting .290 on the year. The other hot bat, Adeiny Hechavarria finds himself in the three-hole for the seventh time this year. Meanwhile, Marcell Ozuna has struck out in 10 of his last 22 at bats, batting .045 in that span. He will not be in the lineup today.
Notes:
-Both the Marlins and Cubs are coming off of a sweep, but lost five of their previous six leading into that sweep.
-Justin Bour has homered in three straight games.
-While Miami gave up 12 runs in their sweep of San Francisco, the Cubs gave up just one in their sweep of the Mets.
Bold Prediction: Marlins beat Cubs 3-1