Game 88 Thread: Marlins vs. Cardinals

The Miami Marlins will travel to St. Louis to take on the Cardinals in the first series out of the All-Star Break. Both of these teams are currently playoff contenders, as Miami currently holds the second wild card spot, while the Cardinals are one game back of Miami. These two teams have not met this season, but the Cardinals have had success against the Marlins recently, as they are 6-1 against Miami in their last seven meetings against the Marlins.

The Marlins will send left hander Wei-Yin Chen to the mound tonight. He will be getting the nod because Jose Fernandez pitched in the All-Star Game. Chen had his best outing of the season in his last start, as he lasted seven innings and allowed just one run. Chen is 5-3 this season with 79 strikeouts and 22 walks allowed.

Pitching Match-up:

The Cardinals will send Jaime Garcia to the hill tonight, and he wasn’t as successful in his last start. Garcia allowed four runs in five innings, before being pulled. Marlins slugger and right fielder Giancarlo Stanton is coming off a Home Run Derby victory on Monday where he slugged 61 long balls.

Stanton was coming off a week where he hit four homers in four consecutive at-bats against the New York Mets, which means he’s no longer in the massive slump that plagued him throughout June. Stanton is on a seven-game hit streak, and he has recorded 10 RBI’s and he’s scored seven runs in the last ten games. The Cardinals begin the second half of the season without third baseman Matt Carpenter, who is out 3-4 weeks with an oblique injury.

Prediction: Marlins defeat Cardinals, 3-2