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Game 144 & 145 Doubleheader Thread: Marlins at Mets

Fish Stripes is live from Citi Field for a long day of non-contending September baseball. (It’s much better than it sounds.)

By Ely Sussman Updated
MLB: Miami Marlins at New York Mets Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Please leave any Icthy picks in the comments below. Remember, we introduced a new grand prize for the contest this season.

9/12/18 Probable Starters

Game Name Team IP ERA FIP K% fWAR
Game Name Team IP ERA FIP K% fWAR
Game 1 Trevor Richards Marlins 102.1 4.73 4.21 23.3% 0.9
Game 1 Zack Wheeler Mets 167.1 3.39 3.28 24.4% 3.8
Game 2 Jeff Brigham Marlins 3.0 9.00 6.82 11.8% -0.1
Game 2 Jason Vargas Mets 73.1 6.75 5.50 18.9% -0.3
FanGraphs

Game 1

Today's Lineups

MARLINS METS
Rafael Ortega - LF Amed Rosario - SS
Starlin Castro - 2B Jeff McNeil - 2B
J.T. Realmuto - C Michael Conforto - LF
Brian Anderson - 3B Jay Bruce - RF
Derek Dietrich - 1B Brandon Nimmo - CF
Lewis Brinson - CF Dominic Smith - 1B
JT Riddle - SS Jose Reyes - 3B
Magneuris Sierra - RF Tomas Nido - C
Trevor Richards - RHP Zack Wheeler - RHP

Matchup Summary

It’s among the most fascinating storylines of the entire MLB season: how the Mets refuse to support ace Jacob deGrom when he’s on the mound.

The Marlins defeated deGrom’s team in three of their four matchups in 2018, including on Tuesday night. They tacked on critical insurance runs in the top of the ninth inning, allowing Drew Steckenrider to shut the door despite coughing up a home run.

José Ureña continued his hot streak since returning from suspension, but I came away most impressed by Lewis Brinson. He was responsible for the two-hardest hit balls against deGrom, who otherwise dominated. While on the disabled list, Brinson made adjustments to his swing and approach that are already yielding great results.

While deGrom hogs the headlines for the Mets, Zack Wheeler has been equally effective since the All-Star break. The right-hander is averaging nearly seven innings per start during that stretch, striking out 26.5 percent of opposing batters. Wheeler has benefited from an uptick in velocity—his four-seam fastball averaged 97.0 mph last Wednesday after sitting in the mid-90s for much of the season’s first half.

Meanwhile, Trevor Richards gets to feast on a lefty-heavy Mets lineup. The 25-year-old rookie has extreme reverse platoon splits (.665 OPS allowed to LHB, .860 OPS allowed to RHB). Mickey Callaway and his staff may be overlooking that, or they see another reason why Richards might be vulnerable, or they’re just ignoring the matchup specifics while playing out the string of a disappointing campaign.

Game 2 is...less sexy. Jeff Brigham has had more than a week to contemplate how to adjust from a shaky MLB debut. New York’s Jason Vargas is usually trash, and even when he’s sharp, the outing rarely goes beyond five innings.

With Game 1 pushed back due to rain, Game 2 was postponed. Perhaps they’ll make it up tomorrow or at the end of the month (or never).

I’m at Citi Field covering this twin bill in person. Separate recaps to be published here on the site, but also follow @fishstripes on Twitter for updates!

Thread Question: Which Marlins player do you think gets the most hits today (both games combined)?

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