Marlins vs. Braves: Start time, how to watch, game thread and Fish Picks—September 21, 2020

Welcome to Monday’s Marlins (28-25) vs. Braves (31-22) game thread. The Marlins’ magic number to clinch a playoff berth is six.

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Marlins Lineup

1. LF Corey Dickerson
2. CF Starling Marte
3. 1B Jesús Aguilar
4. RF Matt Joyce
5. 3B Brian Anderson
6. DH Garrett Cooper
7. SS Miguel Rojas
8. 2B Jon Berti
9. C Jorge Alfaro

P Trevor Rogers (6.00 ERA, 5.23 FIP, 29.6 K%, 36.8 Hard Hit% in 21.0 IP)

Baseball Savant

Notes: The Marlins have loaded some intriguing top prospects onto the taxi squad for this road trip, including right-hander Edward Cabrera and shortstop José Devers (neither has major league experience)...Joyce’s slugging percentage has plummeted to .339 in recent weeks, making it difficult to understand why Don Mattingly continues batting him cleanup. Hopefully a return to Truist Park will rejuvenate him (.308/.419/.490 in 69 career games here)...Rogers immediately made a positive impact during his first several career starts, but he has been limited to three innings in back-to-back outings. If he once again struggles to provide length, the Marlins would likely split “long man” responsibilities between Josh A. Smith and newly recalled Brett Eibner.

Braves Lineup

1. CF Ronald Acuña Jr.
2. 1B Freddie Freeman
3. LF Marcell Ozuna
4. DH Travis d’Arnaud
5. RF Adam Duvall
6. 2B Ozzie Albies
7. 3B Austin Riley
8. C Tyler Flowers
9. SS Dansby Swanson

P Huascar Ynoa (5.30 ERA, 5.11 FIP, 18.6 K%, 35.7 Hard Hit% in 18.2 IP)

Baseball Savant

Notes: Freeman, a notorious Marlin killer, has been killing practically every opponent in 2020. He’s seemingly the favorite to win National League MVP with a .346/.464/.634 slash line and 48 runs batted in over 53 games. However, he hasn’t homered against a left-handed pitcher all season (56 plate appearances). Either the veteran slugger is overdue or this is a reason to feel somewhat optimistic about Rogers’ chances...Ynoa has maxed out at four innings and 61 pitches so far as a big leaguer. Expect plenty of involvement from Atlanta’s bullpen.

How to watch/listen/follow

The first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET. Watch on FOX Sports Florida or 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. Over/Under 4.5 innings pitched for Trevor Rogers? (Over/Under)
2. Over/Under 18.5 total hits? (Over/Under)
3. Over/Under 3:06 time of game? (Over/Under)
4. Will Jorge Alfaro get a hit? (Yes/No)
5. Who wins? (Marlins/Braves)