Game Thread 155: Marlins vs. Reds

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

Matchup Summary

For Jose Urena, it’s been a combination of improved command and his luck starting to even out. Even though Ureña didn’t miss many bats on Saturday night, he also stayed away from the sweet spot. Marlins pitching and defense held the Reds off the scoreboard until the later innings, and by then, Austin Dean had given them a comfortable cushion to work with. Hispanic Heritage Night was a big success.

As Dean mentioned postgame, complete victories like this are so much fun. On the other hand, they could also prove to be detrimental to 2019 MLB draft position. With barely a week remaining this season, the Marlins, Padres, White Sox and Tigers are neck-and-neck-and-neck-and-neck for the No. 3-6 spots.

Sunday’s contest (1:10 p.m. first pitch) is the final home game for the Fish. Win or lose, they desperately want Trevor Richards to perform well. The rookie right-hander looked like the potential ace of the staff earlier in the summer, but hasn’t pitched into the sixth inning in any start since July 28. As a slight advantage, these Reds players have never faced him in the majors.

Michael Lorenzen was a fixture in Cincinnati’s bullpen prior to this week. He’s been successful despite a relatively low strikeout rate, and he could be in for a good day against a mostly right-handed Miami lineup. (Made that same comment on Saturday and they broke the game open against Anthony DeSclafani in the middle innings, so what do I know?)

J.T. Realmuto and Derek Dietrich are on the bench, but I’d suspect that Don Mattingly will get at least one of them into the game at some point. The two longest-tenured position players on the roster could both be trade chips this offseason.

Thread Question: Should the Marlins stick with Mattingly for 2019 or look for somebody else to lead them through this rebuild?