Marlins vs. Diamondbacks: Start time, how to watch, game thread and Fish Picks—July 29, 2019

Welcome to Monday’s Diamondbacks (53-53) vs. Marlins (40-63) game thread.

Throughout the 2019 season, Fish Stripes is your home for daily Fish Picks prop bets. The monthly points leader for July, August, etc. wins Fish Stripes merchandise prizes. We’re also saving something special for the overall full-season points leader. The best seller in our store: Caleb “KKKKKKKaleb” Smith shirts!

Grid View

Coming up on the final few games, this is the most competitive month that the contest has had all season! The Fish Picks leaderboard will update daily to let you know where you stand.

Diamondbacks Lineup

1. 2B Tim Locastro
2. CF Ketel Marte
3. 3B Eduardo Escobar
4. 1B Christian Walker
5. RF Adam Jones
6. 2B Wilmer Flores
7. SS Nick Ahmed
8. C Carson Kelly
9. P Merrill Kelly (4.22 ERA, 4.49 FIP, 19.1 K%, 40.8 Hard Hit% in 119.1 IP)

Notes: The Diamondbacks won’t give Caleb Smith any platoon advantages, as their lineup is comprised entirely of right-handed batters and switch-hitters...Merrill Kelly is a 30-year-old rookie who had a strong finish to his 2018 season with the SK Wyverns of the Korean Baseball Organization that put him on the radar for MLB teams. So far, he has performed pretty much as expected—a staple of the back end of Arizona’s rotation. But even by pitcher standards, he’s helpless in the batter’s box (.029/.057/.029, four sacrifice bunts in 39 PA).

Baseball Savant

Marlins Lineup

1. SS Miguel Rojas
2. RF Brian Anderson
3. 1B Garrett Cooper
4. 3B Neil Walker
5. 2B Starlin Castro
6. LF Curtis Granderson
7. CF Harold Ramírez
8. C Bryan Holaday
9. P Caleb Smith (3.30 ERA, 4.13 FIP, 31.0 K%, 36.4 Hard Hit% in 90.0 IP)

Notes: There’s like a 98% chance that KKKKKKKaleb will be staying with the Marlins through Wednesday’s trade deadline, but you can’t be certain given the lack of quality starting pitching currently on the market. Meanwhile, MLB insider Jon Heyman suggests that relievers Nick Anderson, Adam Conley and Trevor Richards could draw interest. Should that speculation turn into serious negotiations, that could affect their availability to pitch in the coming days...As planned, Pablo López (right shoulder strain) made the first start of his minor league rehab assignment on Sunday with Double-A Jacksonville. He will make two more starts for them—gradually building up his pitch count—before the Marlins consider activating him from the injured list.

How to watch/listen/follow

The game gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET. Watch on FOX Sports Florida and via MLB.TV or listen on 940 WINZ.

Fish Picks

Please comment below or tweet to @fishstripes with your picks for the following props. The contest locks at first pitch.

1. Which team throws the fastest pitch? (Diamondbacks/Marlins)
2. Over/Under 7.5 Caleb Smith strikeouts? (Over/Under)
3. Over/Under 2:56 time of game? (Over/Under)
4. Will Brian Anderson record at least 1 RBI? (Yes/No)
5. Who wins? (Diamondbacks/Marlins)