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Miami's offense has been lacking of late, but great pitching has put them just one game back of the Mets in the Wild Card race, and in position to sweep the Cincinnati Reds today. Tom Koehler is up next for the fish, after Jose Fernandez and Adam Conley pitched great in the first two games of this series.
Koehler (6-7) has somewhat struggled in his last three appearances giving up 22 hits, 11 runs, and five walks to just eight strikeouts, in 14 innings of work. He was given a no-decision in the Marlins 8-6 loss on Independence Day, and is looking to get back on track like he was in mid-June, when he posted three consecutive gems. Cincinnati is tied for dead last in the National League in batting average, so it's the perfect team for him to turn things around.
His opponent today will be rookie Cody Reed (0-3). The young gun out of Memphis, Tennessee has been horrific in his first four starts this season, posting a ERA of 9.00 and a WHIP of 1.85. He's also given up eight home runs in his minimal time on the mound, including two versus the Cubs in his last outing on July 4. Chicago lit up Reed with eight runs in two innings, on just five hits --- he also walked three.
You can catch first pitch at 1:07.
Pitching Match-up:
| Team | Starter | ERA | FIP | 2016 ZIPS Projected ERA |
| CIN | Cody Reed | 9.00 | 7.68 | 4.68 |
| MIA | Tom Koehler | 4.40 | 4.45 | 4.24 |
- The Marlins are 12-4 versus the National League Central this season, and are looking for their third sweep of the year. Their last series sweep came in May against the Diamondbacks.
- This is Tom Koehler's second career start versus the Reds. His first was a loss on July 31, 2014, in which he pitched seven innings allowing five hits and no earned runs.
Bold Prediction: Koehler goes six and the Marlins bats catch fire in 8-3 victory.