Diamondbacks vs. Marlins Series Preview

The Miami Marlins return home to host the Arizona Diamondbacks for a 3-game series. In this series preview, you’ll get all the details:

• Schedule, Watch, Listen
• Probable Pitchers
• Recent Lineups
• What To Watch For

Schedule, Watch, Listen

Tuesday, May 4 at 6:40 pm

• TV: Bally Sports Florida
• Radio: 940 AM WINZ, WAQI 710

Wednesday, May 5 at 6:40 pm

• TV: Bally Sports Florida
• Radio: 940 AM WINZ, WAQI 710

Thursday, May 6 at 6:40 pm

• TV: Bally Sports Florida, MLB Network (out-of-market only)
• Radio: 940 AM WINZ, WAQI 710

Photo by Benny Sieu/USA TODAY Sports

Probable Pitchers

Tuesday: RHP Riley Smith vs. RHP Sandy Alcantara

• Smith: 4.76 ERA, 1.588 WHIP, 9.3 K%, 37.1 HardHit% in 17.0 IP
• Alcantara: 3.19 ERA, 0.982 WHIP, 24.7 K%, 41.7 HardHit% in 36.2 IP

Wednesday: RHP Luke Weaver vs. LHP Ross Detwiler

• Weaver: 4.91 ERA, 1.286 WHIP, 20.9 K%, 44.2 HardHit% in 25.2 IP
• Detwiler: 3.12 ERA, 1.500 WHIP, 24.4 K%, 26.1 HardHit% in 8.2 IP

Thursday: LHP Madison Bumgarner vs. RHP Pablo López

• Bumgarner: 5.58 ERA, 1.239 WHIP, 25.0 K%, 43.4 HardHit% in 30.2 IP
• López: 2.34 ERA, 1.096 WHIP, 24.8 K%, 30.1 HardHit% in 34.2 IP

Recent Lineups

FanGraphs.com

What to watch for on...

Tuesday: Can the Marlins return home and hit the reset button?

• The offense fell silent as Nationals sweep Marlins: 4 R, 16 H, 38 LOB over three games.
• The Diamondbacks’ starting pitcher on Tuesday will be Riley Smith, who has appeared in five games this season — two starts and three relief appearances. In 2020, he pitched exclusively in relief and had some success. This season, however, Smith is among the worst pitchers in K% and he seems to be relying more on his changeup and less on his slider. Look for the Marlins to hit the reset button offensively on Tuesday night and keep an eye on Corey Dickerson, someone who has had more success in his career against pitchers that rely more on finesse and less on power.

Wednesday: Pablo López pitching well and the Marlins scoring runs seem to be mutually exclusive. (López’s start has been pushed back to Thursday.)

• López’s last start: 7 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K.
• Through nine innings, neither team scored a run. The Marlins, with some help from the extra-inning runner on second, were able to score one run in the top of the 10th inning. Kyle Schwarber then drove the second pitch he saw from Yimi García in the bottom half of the inning into the centerfield seats to give the Nationals a walk-off W. López’s gem again resulted in a loss.

Thursday: Will MadBum or Mason Saunders show up on Thursday?

The Athletic

• Before signing with the Diamondbacks, Madison Bumgarner was a staple in the San Francisco Giants rotation. He has three rings and heroically won the World Series MVP in 2014. But that was eons ago. In 15 games with the D-Backs, the 31-year-old MadBum holds a 6.10 ERA, has allowed 17 home runs, and is pitching below league average for the first time in his career.
• Just when you count him out, he proves you wrong. About a year ago, it was reported that MadBum uses the alias Mason Saunders in rodeo competitions to avoid receiving extra attention. His alter ego showed up in the seven-inning doubleheader a week ago. Bumgarner threw a complete game, no-hit shut out. No one was expecting Bumgarner to pitch that well. But maybe it wasn’t him...it was Mason Saunders.