J.B. Shuck has strong debut, Dillon Peters takes control

The Miami Marlins tonight had an array of things go right for them in a nice bounce back win against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The offense was there and pitching held strong throughout. On the other hand the Pirates struggled with defense, hitting, and pitching.

Dillon Peters had a successful day going six innings, giving up four hits, two earned runs, two walks and striking out three. The first few innings of the game looked like Peters command could falter at any moment. There were pitches nowhere near the strike-zone but when the Pirates did make contact not much could be produced. The Pirates had a man on base in each of the first four innings but Peters got out of it every-time.

The fifth inning was the only time Peters could not get out of trouble. Luckily it was limited to a two-run home run by catcher Elias Diaz. Peters would be taken out for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the sixth, concluding a successful effort. The bullpen would then hold their own with Guerrero, Barraclough and Tazawa each pitching a successful inning.

Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Dillon Peters also helped out on the offensive side of the ball. After a triple by J. B. Shuck and a walk by Lewis Brinson, Peters would battle at the plate. He did not chase any bad balls making Chad Kuhl work for the out. This would lead to a wild pitch that would score Shuck, giving the Marlins the lead.

The Marlins big inning would come in the the fifth. Starlin Castro with the bases juiced would hit a sacrifice fly that turned into mayhem for the Pirates.

Justin Bour would also crush a two-run home run in the seventh inning padding the Marlins lead. J.B. Shuck had himself an impressive debut going four for four with two runs. The second inning triple was quiet impressive, hopefully he can continue this production for the Marlins. Miguel Rojas also had three hits and Lewis Brinson got his first stolen base of the young season.

While Peters was great Chad Kuhl was dreadful. He would give up eleven hits in four innings of work while giving up four earned runs. The Pirates hitting was not there tonight and Kyle Barraclough shut down the top of the order with three strike outs.

The Marlins had everything going for them tonight and will look to continue this tomorrow when they face off against Jameson Tailon. Trevor Richards will be on the mound for the Fish. Smart play and good hitting will be needed to keep up with the pirates. Tomorrows game is a 7:10pm start.

Swordfish: J.B. Shuck (.193)

Flounder: Chad Kuhl (-.352)

Play of the Game: Starlin Castro bases loaded sac fly

Attendance: 6,582

Welcome to the game tweleve thread! Don’t forget to place your Icthyomancy picks

Here is an excerpt regarding the prediction contest, in case you have no idea what we’re talking about:

Attendance

Attendance is a big deal in Marlins baseball, like it or not. In each game, we will guess the attendance of the game, home or away, and the closest guess will be worth 2 points.

Individual Games

You can make your best prediction for game scores. A pass costs you nothing. Post your prediction of the score, and if it’s a direct hit (with the correct teams), that’s three points. If you pick the correct winner and by the actual number of runs, that’ll be two points. Predict which team wins, and that’s a single point.

Individual Predictions

These are our prop bets. You’re allowed to make up to two “outside the box” predictions for each contest. Points will be awarded based on the probability of something happening. If you’ve predicted something unfathomably rare (a no-hitter, pitcher hits two home runs, Justin Bour steals seven bases) and it comes true, that’s going to be a lot of points. Everyday things will be worth less. What the heck? The game is free - swing for the fences!

Matchup Summary:

The Pittsburgh Pirates are coming to town and “Arrgh” are they hot (Sorry not Sorry). Their bats have been lighting up the baseball as of late and they will be a tough challenge for rookie Dillon Peters to overcome. Gregory Polanco is currently sitting pretty with five home runs, fifth-teen runs batted in. Starling Marte and Corey Dickerson are also forces to be reckon with and it will be interesting to see how Peters goes about this strong lineup. The Marlins will be facing Chad Kuhl who is certainly hittable which should set up an interesting matchup against Peters. The Marlins are coming off a bad home series against the Mets (three game sweep) and are certainly looking for redemption. Can Miami’s bats come alive? Will Peters come back to form like when he dominated the Cubs in his first start? Tune in and find out at 7:10 pm.

Question? Who gives up the first run Kuhl or Peters?