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The resurgent Phillies march in to face a Marlins team that has lost once since April 23rd. These are teams 1A and 1B in the NL second wild card race. Don't get caught up in the common refrain that "it's early." Make no mistake -- these games are important, and the Marlins really have a chance to make a statement here that the rest of baseball will be forced to acknowledge.
Pitching Matchup
| Team | Starter | ERA | FIP | ZiPS Proj. ERA |
| PHI | Vince Velasquez | 1.44 | 2.47 | 3.62 |
| MIA | Wei-Yin Chen | 4.26 | 3.77 | 3.40 |
Justin Bour continues to sit whilst nursing his dislocated pinky finger; he is day to day. Chris Johnson will start in his place again and bat seventh. Miguel Rojas will check in at the eight spot at short, spelling Adeiny Hechavarria.
Notes
- Tim Lincecum had his showcase today, which, with the marvels of modern technology, I was able to watch as it unfolded. He threw around 35 pitches, mixing in all of his stuff, showing 90-91 MPH velocity consistently, good movement on the breaking stuff. To my untrained eye, he looked good, and I would definitely be considering him for a rotation spot if I were making that call for the Fish.
- Major League Baseball has moved the two games series against the Pirates from Puerto Rico back to Miami (May 30th and 31st) due to concerns over the Zika virus.
Bold Prediction: Marlins lose a tough, close game, 3-2.