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Game Thread 137: Marlins vs. Blue Jays

The neophyte Jeff Brigham attempts to keep the Fish undefeated in September.

Toronto Blue Jays v Miami Marlins Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

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

9/2/18 Probable Starters

Name Team IP ERA FIP K/9 fWAR
Name Team IP ERA FIP K/9 fWAR
Sean Reid-Foley Blue Jays 9.1 8.68 8.72 8.68 -0.3
Jeff Brigham Marlins (Triple-A) 52.1 3.44 4.45 8.25 N/A
FanGraphs

Today's Lineups

BLUE JAYS MARLINS
Billy McKinney - RF JT Riddle - SS
Devon Travis - 2B Brian Anderson - 3B
Kendrys Morales - 1B J.T. Realmuto - 1B
Randal Grichuk - CF Starlin Castro - 2B
Lourdes Gurriel - SS Rafael Ortega - LF
Aledmys Diaz - 3B Lewis Brinson - CF
Teoscar Hernandez - LF Chad Wallach - C
Luke Maile - C Magneuris Sierra - RF
Sean Reid-Foley - RHP Jeff Brigham - RHP

Matchup Summary

With the exception of Justin Smoak, the Blue Jays bats have been in hibernation this series. The difference between Friday’s and Saturday’s results came down the shutting the door in the ninth inning.

Despite spending the opening month of the 2018 season on the disabled list, Wei-Yin Chen became the first Marlins pitcher to reach six wins.

Their lineup for the finale (1:10 p.m. first pitch) features No. 5 through No. 9 hitters who weren’t even on the active roster at the All-Star break. Even against the novice right-hander Sean Reid-Foley, there’s reason to be skeptical of the Fish’s ability to score.

Jeff Brigham, 26, makes his MLB debut against a very right-handed-heavy Blue Jays group. He limited opponents to a .228/.280/.355 slash line in the minors when working with the platoon advantage, ending exactly 25 percent of plate appearances with a strikeout.

MLB Pipeline ranks the new call-up as Miami’s No. 20 prospect, and offers this summary of his stuff:

Brigham has long possessed a power arm when healthy, sitting mostly in the mid-90s with a fastball that can touch 97 mph with good arm-side run. The right-hander complements his heater with a slider in the low- to mid-80s that flashes above average, and he also has a usable changeup.

Brigham’s control has improved as he’s climbed the ladder, but he still has gains to make in terms of his command.

The Marlins hold a 19-10 advantage in the all-time series between these teams.

Thread Question: This marks the 20th and final interleague game of the season. Do you think it’s too much, too little or just the right amount of the schedule?