Fish Stripes: All Posts by Nicole CahillCovering the Marlins every day in our own wayhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52814/Screen_Shot_2018-12-07_at_12.32.35_PM..png2023-03-19T08:30:00-04:00https://www.fishstripes.com/authors/nicole-cahill/rss2023-03-19T08:30:00-04:002023-03-19T08:30:00-04:002023 Marlins Season Preview: Yuli Gurriel
<figure>
<img alt="Miami Marlins designated hitter Yuli Gurriel (97) runs out a ground ball to first base in the second inning against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium.&nbsp;" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7iCoZUvtlUp7f68Bo5lBlMGc1gw=/1347x0:6227x3253/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72091371/usa_today_20222821.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Jim Rassol/USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Coming off a poor season, the 38-year-old can still provide value as a bat off the bench. </p> <p id="AqC0ZP"><em>Find all of our articles previewing 2023 Miami Marlins players </em><a href="https://www.fishstripes.com/23507566/2023-marlins-season-preview"><em><strong>here</strong></em></a><em>.</em></p>
<h2 id="hAQMp6">
<strong>1B </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gourryu01.shtml"><strong>Yuli Gurriel</strong></a>
</h2>
<div id="smifR9">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here’s to you, Yuli Gurriel. Thanks for everything. <a href="https://t.co/K4iQD3SMKA">pic.twitter.com/K4iQD3SMKA</a></p>— The Crawfish Boxes (@CrawfishBoxes) <a href="https://twitter.com/CrawfishBoxes/status/1634033651708047360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2023</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<ul>
<li id="1VqB6V">Made professional baseball debut at 17 years old in 2001 with the Sancti Spiritus in the Cuban National Series.</li>
<li id="9qK332">Became one of the best hitters in Cuba over his 15-year career, slashing a combined .340/.425/.599 from 2001 to 2016.</li>
<li id="mhsjg7">Signed with the Houston Astros July 16, 2016 at 32 years old. </li>
<li id="2vyZIk">Won the World Series with the Astros in 2017.</li>
<li id="XN5f0e">Won the AL Batting Title with a .319 average and the AL Gold Glove at first base in 2021.</li>
<li id="ffUm44">Won a second World Series with the Astros in 2022. </li>
<li id="2dgYZx">Signed a minor league deal with the Miami Marlins on March 9.</li>
<li id="KVJYaz">2023 will be Gurriel’s age-39 season.</li>
</ul>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Screenshot of Yuli Gurriel’s Baseball-Reference page showing his career batting statistics, including his league leading .319 batting average in 2021 and .242/.288/.360 slash line in 2022." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dMeUO1mLqUnWSHAt2AOHH9aNdkU=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24518758/yuli_stats.png">
<cite>Baseball-Reference</cite>
<figcaption>Yuli Gurriel’s career MLB stats</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="3wSWap">
<h2 id="k6oYbC"><strong>Strengths</strong></h2>
<p id="rtuUkK">Yuli Gurriel has been one of the best contact hitters in the league since coming stateside in 2016. During his seven years with the Astros, Gurriel posted an 86.1% contact rate. For context, the league average contact rate hovers around 76.6%. This is great news for the Marlins, who had the <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=0&type=5&season=2022&month=0&season1=2022&ind=0&team=0,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&startdate=2022-01-01&enddate=2022-12-31&sort=7,d">7th-worst contact rate</a> in 2022. </p>
<p id="N7ddlr">Contact hitters seem to be the theme for the Fish this offseason. Gurriel’s 85.7% contact rate was 17th-best in 2022. Two other players general manager Kim Ng brought in this offseason, Luis Arraez and José Iglesias, were among the few hitters ahead of him in that category. Arraez made contact on 92.9% of his swings which led the league, and Iglesias on 86.8% of his swings which was 9th-best. </p>
<p id="JnVIXO">A byproduct of Gurriel’s extremely high contact rate is that he doesn’t fall victim to striking out very often. Again, this is good news for a Marlins team that struck out in nearly a quarter of the team’s plate appearances. </p>
<p id="mXLlgX">Another area Gurriel succeeds at is against left-handed pitchers and—you guessed it!—that’s an area the Marlins struggled last season. The Fish were the worst team in baseball against lefty’s last year, posting a dismal .208/.273/.325 slash line and 71 wRC+ against LHP in 2022. (A league average wRC+ falls right at 100.) Despite a steep drop-off in Gurriel’s production last year, he still performed better than league average against left-handed pitchers in 2022. </p>
<div id="g6p6iJ">
<div><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://cdn.iframe.ly/api/iframe?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com%2FFORGE%2F2022%2F2022-09%2F13%2F178c3dd6-ccdaa228-7a4baf4d-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4&key=9ef4a209439e42bc59783ba959d50197" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" allow="encrypted-media *;"></iframe></div></div>
<script async="" src="https://cdn.iframe.ly/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="lLG0n0">
<h2 id="pAbHBs"><strong>Weaknesses </strong></h2>
<p id="CDp3qx">Gurriel put up the best numbers of his MLB career in 2021, slashing .319/.383/.462 with a 132 wRC+. His 42.0% hard-hit rate was above average, partially thanks to improved plate discipline. He posted a better-than-average chase rate for the first time in his career, managing to lay off pitches he couldn’t do damage against and punishing the pitches he could. </p>
<p id="GyfGYO">In 2022, however, his plate discipline evaporated and Gurriel was back to chasing pitches out of the strike zone. The same bat-to-ball skills were still there, so he was making poor contact on bad pitches and getting bad results. </p>
<p id="NiqJ1l">Leo Morgenstern wrote a really <a href="https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-outlook-isnt-so-good-for-yuli-gurriel/">great piece on Gurriel for FanGraphs</a> a few weeks ago, detailing why he isn’t keen on a bounce back for the soon-to-be 39-year-old. You should give the full article a read, but here’s the gist: </p>
<blockquote><p id="jGsYPQ">In 2022, he was still good at the things he did well, but he was worse than ever at what he already did poorly. No longer could his other skills pick up the slack...To sum it all up, Gurriel’s biggest weakness—his lack of power—became an even bigger problem last season. Meanwhile, the newfound plate discipline that briefly helped him defy the aging curve completely disappeared. He still possesses elite contact skills, but those skills are far less valuable when he’s swinging at worse pitches and hitting without thump.</p></blockquote>
<p id="EPxKLN">Although Gurriel played second base and third base earlier in his professional career, he hasn’t started a game at either position since 2019. If the Marlins are <a href="https://twitter.com/fishstripes/status/1634272470956908544">actually considering deploying him there</a>, it could handicap an already suspect defense. If not, there will be a lot of pressure on his offense to rebound to make him usable as a first baseman/designated hitter.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="YsLNU4">
<h2 id="mYVRhh"><strong>2023 Marlins Role</strong></h2>
<div id="FTROmn">
<div><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://cdn.iframe.ly/api/iframe?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsporty-clips.mlb.com%2F1c16a7df-a473-4091-9d74-e641087aca49.mp4&key=9ef4a209439e42bc59783ba959d50197" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" allow="encrypted-media *;"></iframe></div></div>
<script async="" src="https://cdn.iframe.ly/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="v3Hjol"></p>
<p id="WJldZl">Gurriel isn’t likely to assume an everyday role for the Marlins, and that’s a good thing. His improved 2021 season appears more like a fluke than the ability to defy the typical aging curve. That doesn’t mean, however, that Gurriel can’t provide an occasional reprieve for first baseman Garrett Cooper or serve as a bench bat against left-handed pitchers. </p>
<p id="GmN71e">Even for a team that’s seemingly taking an unorthodox approach to defense this year, using Gurriel around the diamond feels like a stretch. The Marlins are taking a flier on his bat and he ought to be on a short leash if that aspect of his game continues to be below replacement level.</p>
https://www.fishstripes.com/23635860/2023-marlins-season-preview-yuli-gurrielNicole Cahill2023-02-21T11:30:00-05:002023-02-21T11:30:00-05:00The message that Marlins’ hiring of Terry Collins sends
<figure>
<img alt="Newly hired baseball advisor Terry Collins wears a Marlins hat and sunglasses while attending 2023 Spring Training at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, FL" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GJZHXwOQ_UX7uzPiKjmNGymG0nA=/0x0:6000x4000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71997919/IMG_1568.0.jpg" />
<figcaption><a class="ql-link" href="https://twitter.com/kevin_barral" target="_blank">Kevin Barral</a>/Fish Stripes</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The team’s community initiatives promoting health and well-being ring hollow when they’re willing to associate with Collins.</p> <p id="HD1Ptu">It’s been a busy offseason for the Miami Marlins. They started off slow, trading for minor league shortstop <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=edward000xav">Xavier Edwards</a> and signing former Rockies utility man <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hampsga01.shtml">Garrett Hampson</a> to a minor league deal. But with the turn of the new year, the stove was hot. </p>
<p id="qcjucp">Veteran infielder <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/segurje01.shtml">Jean Segura</a> agreed to a 2-year, $17 million contract and veteran pitcher <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cuetojo01.shtml">Johnny Cueto</a> inked a 1-year, $8.5 million deal with the Fish. Then, in arguably the team’s biggest offseason move, they traded starting pitcher <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lopezpa01.shtml">Pablo López</a> to the Minnesota Twins for infielder and batting champ <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/arraelu01.shtml">Luis Arraez</a>. The organization then worked to strengthen the bullpen, adding <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/barnema01.shtml">Matt Barnes</a> and <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/pukaj01.shtml">A.J. Puk</a> to the roster.</p>
<p id="VFlOc0">All in all, I like these moves and believe they make the Marlins a better team than they were last year. I’d love them even <em>more</em> if the three teams above Miami in the NL East didn’t take their own steps forward—that’s a story for another day. </p>
<p id="mEWNbQ">Last Thursday, however, the Marlins made a personnel move that angered me significantly by hiring former manager <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/collite99.shtml">Terry Collins</a> as a baseball consultant for the 2023 season. He’s been a daily fixture at their Spring Training workouts being held in Jupiter.</p>
<div id="SbiImQ">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bruce and Terry Collins. <a href="https://t.co/cFVZBfGOo3">pic.twitter.com/cFVZBfGOo3</a></p>— Isaac Azout (@IsaacAzout) <a href="https://twitter.com/IsaacAzout/status/1627704455041777665?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2023</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="0czACD"></p>
<p id="dBRoqb">In order to understand my frustration, let me back up a bit. </p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="wcOClS">
<p id="ZRfYzP">The trial against the former Los Angeles Angels employee convicted of providing Tyler Skaggs with the drugs that led to the pitcher’s death occurred about a year ago. Multiple former Angels players were called on as witnesses in the trial, including pitcher Matt Harvey. </p>
<p id="dhAR7s">As was <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/33934008/matt-harvey-suspended-60-games-mlb-distributing-oxycodone">reported at the time</a>, Harvey testified under oath that he occasionally provided Skaggs with painkillers and admitted to his own drug use during his time with the Angels in 2019. The league later handed down a 60-game suspension to Harvey.</p>
<p id="8FnjKb">So what does this have to do with Terry Collins? It had nothing to do with him. That was, until Collins decided to unnecessarily insert himself into the situation by disclosing personal medical details to the New York Post.</p>
<p id="rEpYR9">Collins was the manager of the New York Mets when Harvey made his MLB debut in 2012. The former All-Star pitcher had a rocky time with the Mets, helping them reach the World Series in 2015 but also missing extensive time because of injuries and off-the-field struggles.</p>
<p id="A5mz4R">After Harvey’s testimony, Collins took it upon himself to speak with Mike Puma of the New York Post about very personal health information that led to the pitcher seeking medical treatment. <a href="https://www.pitcherlist.com/terry-collins-just-proved-why-so-many-people-suffer-in-silence/">I wrote in detail about this situation for Pitcher List last year</a>, so I won’t rehash the whole thing here. What I will say, however, is that his actions are inexcusable. </p>
<p id="jru2Mu">Fittingly enough, that same reporter first <a href="https://twitter.com/NYPost_Mets/status/1623346140677636098">said</a> that the Marlins were interested in bringing Collins on as a consultant. Seeing this angered me, and I immediately fired off a <a href="https://twitter.com/NicoleCahill_/status/1625562537688240140">tweet</a> that I still stand by today: </p>
<div id="bpd6md">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">terry collins doesn’t belong anywhere near an organization that says it cares about the health and well-being of its players. he divulged private details about matt harvey’s mental health to the new york post. i don’t care how great a baseball mind he is – that is indefensible. <a href="https://t.co/CsiJgtHeHQ">https://t.co/CsiJgtHeHQ</a></p>— Nicole Cahill (@NicoleCahill_) <a href="https://twitter.com/NicoleCahill_/status/1625562537688240140?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2023</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="kjGVk5"></p>
<p id="eM5jQl">As a lifelong Marlins fan and vocal advocate for mental health awareness and suicide prevention, I’ve been impressed by the organization’s commitment to mental health advocacy in the community. </p>
<p id="Cq6yTz">In 2021, the team expanded their mental wellness program, Great Minds—Great Athletes, to serve student-athletes at 27 Miami-Dade County Public Schools. <a href="https://www.fishstripes.com/2021/11/4/22763665/marlins-mental-health-program-supporting-local-students-athletes">As I wrote at the time</a>, the program aimed to nurture middle and high school students’ mental and emotional well-being by teaching important social-emotional skills, supporting character development, and implementing mental wellness programs into the educational curriculum.</p>
<p id="xE2gK1">In May of 2022, Marlins pitcher <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rogertr01.shtml">Trevor Rogers</a> and outfielder <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sanchje02.shtml">Jesús Sánchez</a> spoke at Hialeah Senior High School during an event promoting the mental wellness program. Rogers spoke to the students about his own struggles with mental health, how he began to overthink when alone at night and turned to journaling as a healthy outlet for those thoughts.</p>
<p id="705dO8">Speaking during a taped interview after the event <a href="https://twitter.com/Britt_Ghiroli/status/1530220341959737347">according to The Athletic</a>, Rogers said: </p>
<blockquote><p id="RS5LJ3"><em>“It’s (about) giving students here an outlet, tools to use as far as their own mental health. I think it gets overlooked because the mind is something you can’t see. There’s no physical exercise that can help it. The best exercise is to talk to someone, write things down. Stuff like that will really improve your mental state.”</em></p></blockquote>
<p id="ClnMH7">He went on to say that it’s normal to struggle with these things, telling the students that they aren’t alone in their struggles. “We have all gone through these tough times,” he said. “Just reach out to somebody or write it down.”</p>
<p id="Oi3VO3">His words really struck a chord with me because hearing from successful athletes while I was struggling in high school would have made such a difference. If they were sitting in front of me saying it’s okay to talk to someone about these things, maybe I would have reached out for help sooner.</p>
<p id="1jFJqw">Seeing these initiatives made me proud to be a Marlins fan, but the hiring of Terry Collins has me wondering if this was ever genuine. I can’t reconcile the fact that the team promotes the health and well-being of its players, staff, and the community, but then hires someone that leaked very private details about a former player’s mental health to the press. </p>
<p id="EUzjpf">Would Trevor Rogers or those students feel comfortable being themselves or asking for help if they knew a coach or adult they were supposed to trust could turn around and divulge those details to a reporter? I know I wouldn’t.</p>
<p id="7G6UYp">Baseball has come a long way, but there’s still so far to go. There should be zero tolerance for somebody like Collins in a major league organization considering how he betrayed Harvey’s trust. A hiring like this one sets the game back, telling people that this type of behavior is excusable if you’re a bright baseball mind.</p>
https://www.fishstripes.com/2023/2/21/23606363/marlins-terry-collins-problemNicole Cahill2023-01-22T09:00:00-05:002023-01-22T09:00:00-05:00So long, Captain. Carry On, Stirrup Son.
<figure>
<img alt="Miami Marlins shortstop Miguel Rojas (11) congratulates Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara (22) after the eighth inning after pitching a 5 hit game in a 1-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field.&nbsp;" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/eb2CuyK-CcfO6GiY9CFgnPyFW5Y=/0x0:4248x2832/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71893376/usa_today_19148675.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Michael McLoone/USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Saying goodbye to Miguel Rojas and Pablo López.</p> <p id="VqAxpx">If you’ve read my work, it’s no surprise I form emotional attachments to the Miami Marlins organization and its players. Within the last few weeks, the team has traded two players that pulled on my heartstrings during their tenure in Miami: <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rojasmi02.shtml">Miguel Rojas</a> and <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lopezpa01.shtml">Pablo López</a>. </p>
<div id="y0ZiP1">
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CnUsiYGjCsG/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CnUsiYGjCsG/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewbox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div>
<div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;">
<div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div>
</div>
</div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div>
</div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CnUsiYGjCsG/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Miguel Rojas (@miggyslocker)</a></p>
</div></blockquote>
<script async="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>
</div>
<p id="FuD7Oh"></p>
<div id="ysVXiP">
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnsc2bHpzRa/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnsc2bHpzRa/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewbox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div>
<div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;">
<div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div>
</div>
</div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div>
</div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnsc2bHpzRa/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Pablo López Serra (@plopezserra)</a></p>
</div></blockquote>
<script async="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>
</div>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="ikewuC">
<p id="u939tK">There were rumblings the team was actively shopping longtime shortstop Miguel Rojas, but that didn’t make the news of his trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers sting any less. </p>
<p id="W4E8gG">As I’m sure you’ve read by now, Rojas made his Major League debut with the Dodgers in 2014. His time in Los Angeles was brief. After 85 games, the Dodgers traded him to the Marlins as part of a seven-player deal in the offseason. </p>
<p id="WGvHfI">Rojas played 870 games for the Fish across eight seasons, making him the team’s longest tenured player at the time of last week’s trade. He became the Marlins’ unofficial captain during that time, anchoring a revolving door of young players donning Miami Marlins uniforms. </p>
<p id="53nOCJ">When the new ownership took over, Rojas reiterated his desire to remain in Miami. The front office felt the same way, wanting him to assume a leadership role in the clubhouse. </p>
<p id="5wSuqT">I wrote about my affinity for Miggy Ro at the end of the 2021 season for <a href="https://www.pitcherlist.com/air-rojas/">Pitcher List</a>, mentioning the mutual faith there was between Rojas and the organization when the new ownership group took over. The veteran shortstop assumed a leadership role in the clubhouse, telling <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/mlb/miami-marlins/article246398690.html">Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald</a>, “I just want to be that guy, that leader by example and the guy they feel comfortable around. I want everybody who steps in this clubhouse to feel comfortable and to be themselves. If you’re a good guy and they feel comfortable around you, you’ll probably do good things on the field.”</p>
<p id="UskER0">That quote was the basis for my article at Pitcher List, along with something else he said on the Chris Rose Rotation during the summer of 2021. </p>
<div id="JTPoFK">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">"If the Miami Marlins think the best way for them to get better is to trade me, go ahead and do it...I love this organization so much."<br><br>Miguel Rojas on The Chris Rose Rotation addresses the possibility of being dealt at the deadline <a href="https://t.co/WHzBb9QYTx">https://t.co/WHzBb9QYTx</a> <a href="https://t.co/AJMCFgSH0H">pic.twitter.com/AJMCFgSH0H</a></p>— Fish Stripes (@fishstripes) <a href="https://twitter.com/fishstripes/status/1409576341712818178?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="DF4tmk">When the news broke of the Marlins trading Rojas to Dodgers, that was the quote that I immediately thought of. </p>
<div><aside id="QFkDPa"><q>If the Miami Marlins think the best way for them to get better is to trade me, go ahead and do it because I want the best for the Miami Marlins. I love this organization so much. … I want the best for this organization and I want this organization to be a championship one. And if they’re getting better just getting rid of me so that they can get more guys, more prospects, and that’s going to put them in the position to be a championship organization, I would do that.</q></aside></div>
<p id="ESY2Vb"></p>
<p id="2pvHzn">Like <a href="https://twitter.com/NicoleCahill_/status/1613348751501828096">I said when news of the trade broke</a>, Rojas seemed like a genuinely good person who wanted nothing more than to see the team succeed. He was “one of the few players who embraced being a Marlin,” <a href="https://twitter.com/legsanity/status/1613350490821087232">someone replied</a>. There aren’t a ton of guys like that, which makes losing them sting even more. </p>
<p id="Vungch">Pablo López was another one of those guys. The right-handed pitcher had been involved in persistent trade rumors prior to Friday’s completed deal. I was working on a Pablo López appreciation post as the 2022 trade deadline approached—<a href="https://www.fishstripes.com/2022/8/25/23041814/pablo-lopez-pitch-mix-marlins">Carry On, Stirrup Son</a>—and was actually surprised when the deadline came and went and he remained a Marlin. I still decided to publish it, choosing to appreciate the player and person while he was still a part of the team.</p>
<p id="zFzaY2">There were so many great moments during López’s five seasons with the Fish. One that sticks with me was his MLB record-setting nine strikeouts to begin a game on <a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/pablo-lopez-sets-an-mlb-record?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share">Jully 11, 2021</a>, also the one-year anniversary of his father’s passing. </p>
<p id="8dgJm8">López pitched incredibly in the first half of 2022 and was able to stay healthy for the duration of the season, something he had not done up to that point in this career. The <a href="https://twitter.com/marlins/status/1570542232721297408?lang=en">Marlins honored López</a> with the team’s nomination for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award. He also earned the organization’s Charlie Hough Good Guy Award in 2020 and 2022. </p>
<div id="zdARjR">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pablo López is one of the kindest humans to ever wear a Marlins uniform. Just an incredibly genuine, down to earth man who wears a permanent smile. He will be missed tremendously.</p>— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) <a href="https://twitter.com/CraigMish/status/1616529696509886468?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2023</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="cj5QaU"></p>
<p id="FghrNo">I know baseball is a business and trading players isn’t personal, but there are always guys who fans come to love both on and off the field. Miguel Rojas and Pablo López were those kinds of players. Although no longer in a Marlins uniform, I’ll be rooting for them all the same. </p>
https://www.fishstripes.com/2023/1/22/23556218/marlins-trades-miguel-rojas-pablo-lopezNicole Cahill2022-11-10T08:00:00-05:002022-11-10T08:00:00-05:002022 Marlins Season Review: Jacob Stallings
<figure>
<img alt="Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara (22) is congratulated by Miami Marlins catcher Jacob Stallings (58) after the game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park.&nbsp;" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/m-yqMQlZuIjnsvsPQEAY7cpCfnA=/0x4:4432x2959/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71609329/usa_today_19073475.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Brad Mills/USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Although disappointing, Stallings’ season was a tale of two halves. </p> <p id="gLOV9X">As a whole, the 2022 season was a disappointing one for <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/stallja01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral">Jacob Stallings</a>. The Miami Marlins traded for Stallings on November 29, 2021, just before the owners locked out the players and things came grinding to a halt. To acquire the 2021 NL Gold Glove Award winner, the Marlins traded pitcher <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/thompza01.shtml">Zach Thompson</a> and prospects <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=nicola000kyl">Kyle Nicolas</a> and <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=scott-000con">Connor Scott</a>.</p>
<p id="uNrXXT">The Marlins knew Stallings was a glove-first player, so they didn’t expect him to put up flashy offensive numbers in the middle of the order. If he could provide something around league-average production like he had his last two seasons in Pittsburgh—92 wRC+ and 94 wRC+ in 2020 and 2021, respectively—it would be serviceable because of the value he was expected to provide behind the plate. This didn’t go as planned, however.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="3WU4BJ">
<h2 id="HAFvfe"><strong>2022 Timeline</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li id="Mtz9Hs">
<strong>Opening Day:</strong> Stallings hit a home run against the Giants on Opening Day, something no one expected from a player with only 17 career home runs. </li>
<li id="WgeHeE">
<strong>June 14:</strong> Stallings hits his second home run of the season. At this point, he was slashing .204/.272/.272 with a .544 OPS. His 59 wRC+ was 16th-worst in baseball. For context, a 100 wRC+ is league average.</li>
<li id="Mjzl31">
<strong>All-Star Break:</strong> At the halfway point of the season, the Marlins backstop was slashing .184/.244/.232 with a .476 OPS. Only three players had a wRC+ worse than Stallings’ 39 wRC+ at the midway point.</li>
<li id="Ts5crZ">
<strong>August 15:</strong> Stallings had been quietly producing at the plate in the second half, as noted in the tweet below. He posted five multi-hit games during the month following the All-Star Break, nearly matching his total from the entire first half (seven). </li>
</ul>
<div id="ch0QP9">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The top hitting MLB catchers since the All-Star break, according to wRC+ <a href="https://t.co/sGklS4txar">pic.twitter.com/sGklS4txar</a></p>— Fish Stripes (@fishstripes) <a href="https://twitter.com/fishstripes/status/1559229070734409730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 15, 2022</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<ul><li id="qvxmLE">
<strong>End of season:</strong> Although it was a poor season overall, just looking at Stallings’ season line does a disservice to his second-half improvements, when he slashed .281/.361/381 with a .742 OPS. His 116 wRC+ in the second half gets lost if you don’t consider the splits. </li></ul>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="o58eDq">
<h2 id="096zjt"><strong>By The Numbers</strong></h2>
<div class="c-float-right"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Jacob Stallings’ career statistics, split between his time with the Pirates and Marlins. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YVp_HfCD34Tms4eC_o6WdiblNCw=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24183180/Jacob_Stallings_stats.png">
<cite><em>Baseball-Reference, FanGraphs, Baseball Savant</em></cite>
</figure>
</div>
<p id="gB5Ur8">When put up against his Pittsburgh Pirates performance, Jacob Stallings’ 2022 numbers with the Miami Marlins are disappointing. Not only did he underperform his offensive expectations, the Gold Glove defense Stallings was lauded for was nowhere to be found.</p>
<p id="pS5f0J">In 2021, Stallings’ 21 defensive runs saved led all catchers. Mainly through his game-calling, pitch framing, and ability to block pitches in the dirt, Stallings saved the Pirates 21 runs at the catching position compared to a league average catcher. The second-place finisher, <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hedgeau01.shtml">Austin Hedges</a>, wasn’t close with 12 DRS.</p>
<p id="2qPllX">With the Marlins, however, all of this evaporated into thin air. Stallings didn’t frame pitches well or control the running game, and there were a few instances where I thought his streak of consecutive <a href="https://www.fishstripes.com/2022/4/15/23026252/jacob-stallings-streak-lives-on-but-should-it">games without a passed ball</a> was sure to end. Him being behind the plate <em>cost</em> the Marlins nine runs in 2022, which ranked 115th out of 120 players who appeared at the catching position. </p>
<div id="yy7jox">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jacob Stallings passed Johnny Bench (!!!) for the most consecutive games without a passed ball in MLB history <br><br>Jacob spoke to <a href="https://twitter.com/CraigMinervini?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CraigMinervini</a> about what it feels like to hold the record!<a href="https://twitter.com/Marlins?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Marlins</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MakeItMiami?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MakeItMiami</a> <a href="https://t.co/0k3pT0Ind0">pic.twitter.com/0k3pT0Ind0</a></p>— Bally Sports Florida: Marlins (@BallyMarlins) <a href="https://twitter.com/BallyMarlins/status/1564738324610404354?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2022</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="sHaK1E"></p>
<p id="2RM8Pb">Defensive metrics are finicky and require a few seasons' worth of data to stabilize, but I have rarely seen a player go from one extreme to the other like Jacob Stallings did in 2021 and 2022. Because we should never use small sample sizes to draw decisive conclusions, I’m not ready to throw in the towel on Stallings. You shouldn’t be, either.</p>
<p id="2BHqCi">Stallings came in and gave the pitchers confidence. He was behind the plate for every pitch that soon-to-be NL Cy Young Award winner <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/alcansa01.shtml">Sandy Alcantara</a> threw. Chemistry, that illusive and intangible necessity, is something Stallings and Alcantara clearly have. Sandy recognizes it, and I’m sure the other starters do, too. Here’s what Alcantara said to <a href="https://www.theringer.com/mlb/2022/10/5/23388458/sandy-alcantara-cy-young-pitches-marlins">Ben Lindbergh of <em>The Ringer</em></a> about his season and Stallings’ part in it:</p>
<blockquote><p id="muYxPB">Displayed on a stats site, Alcantara’s pitch mix looks like it could have been randomized. Maybe that’s why it works so well: You can’t predict random. But every pitch was the product of a considered decision by Alcantara and Stallings, who caught every inning Alcantara threw. “Him and me, we’re always together,” Alcantara says. “We got the same pitch in mind every time. When he puts that finger there, I don’t need to shake, because he knows what pitch I want to throw.”</p></blockquote>
<p id="E1QSps">Just because we can’t quantify the pitcher-catcher relationship doesn’t make it any less valuable. Alcantara and <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lopezpa01.shtml">Pablo López</a> put up career years, and both have mentioned the confidence they gained when Stallings came aboard. When they don’t have to worry about throwing a pitch in the dirt with runners on base, they’re able to throw their best pitch with conviction. These details may not show up on a FanGraphs leaderboard, but they remain a crucial part of the pitching staff’s success.</p>
<p id="Ca7jds">On the other side of the ball, I mentioned how Stallings’ offensive numbers were disappointing. Looking at the first and second halves individually is important, though. Here are those numbers again:</p>
<ul>
<li id="iqCAdg">First half: .184/.244/.232, .476 OPS, 39 wRC+</li>
<li id="I1rgIR">Second half: .281/.361/.381, .742 OPS, 116 wRC+</li>
</ul>
<p id="mKemmI">Before the All-Star Break, Stallings was striking out a quarter of the time he stepped to the plate. When he made contact, a lot of it was weak and on the ground. This made for a lot of noncompetitive at-bats.</p>
<p id="YZjAr8">In the second half, however, Stallings improve his strikeout rate to 18%. He began making harder contact, especially when he pulled the ball or went up the middle. This, coupled with putting the ball in the air more, led to more extra-base hits.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Jacob Stallings’ rolling wRC+ and strikeout rate in 2022" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-M9IpVLYhPAbdOx9LEOD-jKf3B8=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24184305/Screen_Shot_2022_11_10_at_07.10.42.png">
<cite>FanGraphs</cite>
<figcaption>Jacob Stallings’ rolling wRC+ and strikeout rate in 2022</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="bUUUkz">
<h2 id="w5LLsQ"><strong>2023 Expectations</strong></h2>
<p id="XIHxbo">Improved plate discipline and higher quality of contact contributed to what was a much more productive second half for Jacob Stallings. If he can carry over the adjustments he made in the second half of 2022 into the 2023 season, it would be a big win for the Marlins who are looking to upgrade their lineup.</p>
<p id="BRayeW">On the defensive side, Stallings’ track record makes me hopeful that his 2022 defensive numbers signal some bad luck in a small sample size rather than a defensive collapse we should expect to see going forward.</p>
<p id="VGclfX">Stallings’ playing time is something to monitor. Will he continue to receive the majority of starts at catcher or <a href="https://www.fishstripes.com/23414583/2022-marlins-season-review-nick-fortes">has Nick Fortes earned a larger role</a>?</p>
<p id="2HGULZ">Stallings, who has just over four years of official service time, is heading into his third arbitration eligible year and age-33 season. He will also have a fourth year of arbitration in 2024, so the Marlins control Stallings’ contract for this upcoming season and the next, leaving plenty of time for him to rewrite the narrative surrounding the trade before potentially becoming a free agent in 2025.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="iYixY0">
<h2 id="9Rm3R5"><strong>Highlights!</strong></h2>
<div id="HeqCYn"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/m/jacob-stallings-two-run-homer" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media;"></iframe></div></div>
<div id="ICQtwB"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/m/mark-melancon-in-play-run-s-to-jacob-stallings" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media;"></iframe></div></div>
<div id="AlsyU0"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/m/tommy-nance-in-play-out-s-to-christian-yelich-x7764" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media;"></iframe></div></div>
https://www.fishstripes.com/23401045/2022-marlins-season-review-jacob-stallingsNicole Cahill2022-09-25T09:40:10-04:002022-09-25T09:40:10-04:00Miami Marlins Fun Index
<figure>
<img alt="Jazz Chisholm Jr. lowering his sunglasses and winking at the camera." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tYbOzJwtNcSC16BKCUyHksfzV0w=/0x0:420x280/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71412785/jazz_chisholm_wink_glasses.0.gif" />
<figcaption>Fish Stripes GIF Database</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>What do you love or hate the most about the 2022 season? We’re keeping notes and rating this Miami Marlins season on a Fun Index!</p> <p id="6aW3B8">Hello and welcome to the first edition of the Miami Marlins fun index! The first edition serves as an introduction to a fun idea from <a href="https://twitter.com/DeGenZGZ">Mario DeGenz</a> of <a href="https://www.purplerow.com/">Purple Row</a>, the Colorado Rockies arm of SB Nation. He came up with the idea for a fun index in 2021, first <a href="https://www.purplerow.com/2021/11/3/22759750/wednesday-rockpile-grading-the-mlb-postseason-fun-counter">grading the postseason</a> games and then extending this project to <a href="https://www.purplerow.com/2021/12/1/22811574/wednesday-rockpile-the-rockies-fun-index-part-1-april-may-21">each and every game the Rockies played in 2021</a>.</p>
<p id="UEa3wV">I came across his Fun Index series earlier this week and was really intrigued. The Marlins’ 2022 season has been one of the more disappointing ones in recent memory. After a painful loss in which Tanner Scott gave up a three-run walk-off home run to Philadelphia Phillies’ backup catcher Garrett Stubbs, <a href="https://twitter.com/NicoleCahill_/status/1537168690621325312">I tweeted</a> that the Marlins lead the league in heartbreaking losses. A bunch of other sad Marlins fans seemed to agree.</p>
<p id="0vhgSI">So, I’ve decided to attempt a Fun Index for the 2022 Marlins season. Mario did all the heavy lifting with his initial scoring system, so all the props for the idea and foundation go to him. </p>
<p id="eTbcoa">I’m going to adapt it here and there with some of my own ideas, but I also want to hear from our readers! You’ve spent countless hours watching Marlins games, so I’m sure there are times you mutter, “oh no, not <em>again</em>.” What are those scenarios? Let’s add them to the index! I’d also love to hear about the things you think make baseball fun! Let’s add those to the index, too.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="FxWOt0">
<p id="GocMR4">First, here’s Mario’s original idea and scoring system for his 2021 Rockies Fun Index: </p>
<blockquote><p id="gACbzb"><em>Every game starts out with a default score of 50/100 (another aesthetic change I made from before), and certain things that happen during a game can add or deduct points to the score. The final score is put on a scale of x/10 for ease of use, and the system is designed so a game can gain as many points as it can lose, to balance out the scale. I’ve made the scores a bit more detailed than before, so I’d recommend even the people who are familiar with the Index to look over the events.</em></p></blockquote>
<p id="Oz1dWz"></p>
<h3 id="q8uL5F"><strong>Positive Events</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li id="sRXSKe">SP goes 9+/8+/7+/6+ IP: +30/+20/+15/+10</li>
<li id="U39J0H">6 or less combined pitchers used: +20</li>
<li id="BD8RpZ">7-8 combined pitchers used: +10</li>
<li id="OHGRS1">Game lasts under 2 hours/under 2.5 hours: +20/+10</li>
<li id="QRAIpV">Extra-innings: +10</li>
<li id="VmlOq0">Final score difference is 1 run/2 runs/3 runs: +15/+10/+5</li>
<li id="QZUeqH">4 or more lead losses or changes: +20</li>
<li id="yLTmG8">2-3 lead losses or changes: +10</li>
<li id="6YrXHc">Walk-off: +15</li>
<li id="ww62nu">Go-ahead run scores in 8th or later/7th or later: +10/+5</li>
<li id="Psi1sb">4 or more stolen base attempts: +15</li>
<li id="R5kcz9">12 or less combined strikeouts: +10</li>
<li id="QWwDvf">Both SP get a decision: +5</li>
</ul>
<p id="GRq9zL"></p>
<h3 id="A1Fmdl"><strong>Negative Events</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li id="vrDVdc">Opener: -30</li>
<li id="TOear5">SP goes 2 IP or less/3 IP or less/4 IP or less: -20/-15/-10</li>
<li id="ntXzEU">14+ combined pitchers used: -20</li>
<li id="5IWwHg">10-13 combined pitchers used: -10</li>
<li id="AalNQI">Game lasts over 4 hours/over 3.5 hours: -15/-10</li>
<li id="O8JgMb">Final score difference is 8+ runs/7-6 runs/5-4 runs: -15/-10/-5</li>
<li id="BQbtyx">No lead loss or change: -10</li>
<li id="QzEoRU">Go-ahead run scores in 2nd or earlier/3rd/4th: -15/-10/-5</li>
<li id="dDqRSC">25+ combined strikeouts: -20</li>
<li id="wAXJ4F">20-24 combined strikeouts: -15</li>
<li id="5PH74E">No stolen base attempts: -10</li>
<li id="5CKaYP">Neither SP gets a decision: -5</li>
</ul>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="9jKZHB">
<p id="itpszx">Using <a href="https://www.fishstripes.com/2022/9/24/23370319/marlins-nationals-highlights-recap-sandy-alcantara-cy-young">Saturday’s Marlins win</a> as an example, Mario’s scoring method would give it a 70/100. </p>
<ul>
<li id="Yw5U6E">Default of 50/100</li>
<li id="2z8NyV">Positive events: SP goes 8+ IP (+20); 6 or less combined pitchers used (+20); game lasts under 2.5 hours (+10); final score difference is 3 runs (+5); both SP get a decision (+5)</li>
<li id="cjUaHS">Negative events: Go-ahead run scores in 2nd or earlier (-15); 20-24 combined strikeouts (-15); no stolen base attempts (-10)</li>
</ul>
<p id="3xKgxc">His method wasn’t team specific, but mine will be. I’m trying to quantify the heartache of 2022 Marlins fandom. Thus, I’ll adapt the scoring to add points when the Marlins do something good and subtract when the team does something bad.</p>
<p id="kLi2Pn">One thing that has been so painful to watch is the Marlins’ lackluster offense and their inability to score runs. This has led to so many—37, to be exact—one run losses. My main inkling is to make an adjustment to reflect that aggravation, although I’m not exactly sure how yet.</p>
<h3 id="YOcI0o"><strong>This is where I need your help! </strong></h3>
<p id="CvlLXD">If Marlins Twitter is any indication, we’ve suffered through a ton of painful at-bats and dumb decisions that everyone saw coming (except for the people within the organization itself).</p>
<p id="B6VNTh">Is there anything that Mario left off his Rockies’ scoring system that you think I should add for this Marlins version? What does this team do well that isn’t already captured by the events listed above? Is there anything the team does that really grinds your gears that I should keep track of, perhaps immediately subtracting 50 points for every time J.P. Arencibia utters his dreadful <em>frozen pizza</em> line?</p>
<p id="BbEXbT">Leave a comment on this article, a reply on the <a href="https://twitter.com/fishstripes">@fishstripes</a> tweet, or reach me directly at <a href="https://twitter.com/NicoleCahill_">@NicoleCahill_</a>. Who knows, this season might be more fun than we thought, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if the Fun Index turns into a <em>Not</em> Fun Index.</p>
https://www.fishstripes.com/23370015/miami-marlins-fun-indexNicole Cahill2022-08-25T08:00:00-04:002022-08-25T08:00:00-04:00Carry On, Stirrup Son
<figure>
<img alt="Miami Marlins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez (49) returns to the dugout after the first inning against the New York Mets at loanDepot Park." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ZM1nvA7bxnFXvSn5LRL8B6jHBwE=/0x0:4811x3207/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71282941/usa_today_18796894.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Sam Navarro/USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A Pablo López appreciation post, plus musings on the sad state of the Miami Marlins. </p> <p id="HPFdGo">If <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lopezpa01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral">Pablo López</a> was traded by the deadline, I wanted to write something to honor his time in Miami. I came up with a clever title—carry on, stirrup son—to honor the pitcher I’ve come to love watching every fifth day. Although they did not trade the 26-year-old righthander, I’m a firm believer in recognizing and appreciating the good things we have before they’re gone. So this isn’t a goodbye, just a welcome back. </p>
<p id="FEmKL6">On Tuesday night, López returned to his primary fastball-changeup pitch mix. He looked like his vintage self, throwing six shutout innings against the Oakland A’s. He allowed four hits, walked two, and struck out five. Here’s to hoping López can finish the 2022 strong.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="irQZqZ">
<h2 id="fFuYtb"><strong>Staying Healthy</strong></h2>
<p id="GUE3lJ">When I wrote his <a href="https://www.fishstripes.com/23010541/2022-marlins-season-preview-pablo-lopez">2022 series preview</a> for Fish Stripes, I mentioned López having a healthy season would be critical. López came into the year with 111 <sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>3</sub> innings pitched as his career high. That was back in 2019, the season in which he missed more than a month because of a right shoulder strain.</p>
<p id="QRWDzZ">López made all of his starts in the wonky, COVID-shortened 2020 season and was pitching well in 2021 until sustaining a right rotator cuff strain at the beginning of July. The injury sidelined him for nearly all of the second half of the season. He finished the 2021 season with just a tick over 100 innings pitched.</p>
<p id="33gyWu">With health being of the two things I wanted to watch for this season, López has quenched all the concerns I had about durability. After Tuesday night’s game, López has pitched 140 innings in 25 starts this season. We still have a few weeks left in the season, so it’s important that he’s able to continue pitching well and pitching healthy. </p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="VBXwDP">
<h2 id="MmXwKG"><strong>Developing a Third Pitch</strong></h2>
<p id="e9VPoV">The other thing I’ve been keeping tabs on with López this season is his pitch mix. As we’ve seen over the past few seasons, López has solidified himself as a two-pitch pitcher. In 2020, 62.1% of the pitches he threw were a fastball or changeup. Those numbers have only increased over the past two seasons: 64.3% in 2021 and 72.3% in 2022. </p>
<p id="0TrFwA">This lack of a third pitch is something I touched on in López’s 2022 season preview. We saw him use his sinker more often in spring training, even more so than his changeup in two of his three spring starts. It’s a pitch he employed generously early in his career, but it wasn’t particularly successful: opposing batters had a batting average above .300 against his sinker in three of López’s first four seasons. </p>
<p id="T0pZQh">The other candidates for a potential third pitch are the curveball and cutter. López featured the curveball heavily in 2018 (20.3%) and 2019 (16.8%), but steered away from it in recent seasons. It’s easy to understand why: López’s curveball had a +7 run value in 2019, by far his worst pitch. In contrast, the cutter is something he debuted in 2020 that fared pretty well in the first two seasons. This year, however, it’s taken a step back. </p>
<p id="7m3C6x">At this point in the season, López still has not solidified a reliable third pitch. When I think of how he’s performed this season, it really feels like we’ve been watching two different pitchers. There was the NL Pitcher of the Month Award in April and a few fantastic starts in May, but things began to go south in June. If we look at his pitch usage in his first 12 starts compared to his most recent 12 starts, there are some notable differences.</p>
<div id="D4H0Kk"><div data-anthem-component="table:11473812"></div></div>
<p id="e8n0Bz"></p>
<p id="DeEBM9">In López’s first 12 starts this season, he threw his fastball or changeup just over 70% of the time. The rest of the time, batters usually saw the cutter or sinker. Very rarely, López would mix in a curveball. But lately, as he’s using his curveball more and changeup less, the results have been less than stellar. </p>
<div id="wMw0hw"><div data-anthem-component="table:11479183"></div></div>
<p id="4wyN1K"></p>
<p id="fM93Hf">When I mentioned researching this article to our very own Ely Sussman, I told him I didn’t understand López and the Marlins’ decision to trade changeup for curveball usage. He pointed me to <a href="https://twitter.com/BallyMarlins/status/1552113231866494981">this video</a> of López talking about his start on July 26.</p>
<div id="JTJq0L">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">"It was not only a fun start, but a good start to build off of"<br><br>Pablo López speaks after 7 innings of 1 run, 2 hit, 11 strikeout baseball in the Marlins win over the Reds<a href="https://twitter.com/Marlins?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Marlins</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MakeItMiami?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MakeItMiami</a> <a href="https://t.co/c58MogcNAu">pic.twitter.com/c58MogcNAu</a></p>— Bally Sports Florida: Marlins (@BallyMarlins) <a href="https://twitter.com/BallyMarlins/status/1552113231866494981?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 27, 2022</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="eTGyvs"></p>
<p id="oeYkKw">“The more you throw it,” he says about the curveball, “the more comfortable you are with it.” 14% of his pitches that day were curveballs, and the three swings he induced on the pitch were all whiffed at. This was an outing against the Cincinnati Reds in which López pitched seven innings, allowing one run on two hits, no walks, and 11 strikeouts. </p>
<p id="JVOFyy">While I understand the mindset, I’m still curious why the decision to throw more breaking balls happened in mid-July. Around this time, the Marlins were just a few games under .500 and technically still in the NL Wild Card race. The team seemed very optimistic about their chance to play meaningful games down the stretch. On July 30, <a href="https://www.fishstripes.com/2022/7/30/23284748/kim-ng-mlb-trade-deadline-marlins-quotes">GM Kim Ng said</a> the front office didn’t see the Marlins as a “clear buyer or clear seller.” So if they were pondering going for it, why tinker with something that’s going well?</p>
<p id="322zuc">To be fair, this isn’t a knock on López. We now know that these games mean nothing. He’s thrown his curveball nearly 16% of the time since that July 26 game in Cincinnati, and his changeup usage is just under 30%. If there’s ever a time to work on another pitch in-season, now would be the time. </p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="mesA8v">
<p id="nDDvQ4">Key decision-makers on the Marlins say one thing and do another. The team’s leadership is always saying they’re committed to fielding a competitive team and winning games, but then consistently do things that prove otherwise—tinkering with a pitch that has historically been pretty bad around the make-or-break point of the season, consistently slotting Avisaíl García in the cleanup spot despite being one of the worst hitters in all of baseball, or giving significant playing time to Willians Astudillo, Billy Hamilton, and Bryan De La Cruz. </p>
<p id="s8xhgE">It should go without saying, but these aren’t things winning organizations do. It’s getting more and more difficult to tune in every night. I find myself wondering which version of the Marlins are worse: a team that makes it clear they have no intention of winning, or one that swears they do, just to deliver this frustrating 2022 season. </p>
https://www.fishstripes.com/2022/8/25/23041814/pablo-lopez-pitch-mix-marlinsNicole Cahill2022-06-02T09:40:00-04:002022-06-02T09:40:00-04:00June 2-5: Giants vs. Marlins Series Preview
<figure>
<img alt="San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Carlos Rodon (16) delivers a pitch against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at Oracle Park.&nbsp;" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xZc9noduU4GeSsJ4YglWGY0VAXo=/0x0:5184x3456/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70935199/usa_today_18051889.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by D. Ross Cameron/USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The first homestand of June begins tonight. </p> <p id="UjwfTx">The Miami Marlins started off the month of June on a high note. They cruised to a 14-1 victory in game one of their doubleheader against the Rockies yesterday, swatting 21 hits and getting a strong outing from youngster Edward Cabrera. In game two, the bats were on display yet again. The conclusion was painfully familiar, however, as Cole Sulser’s blown save sent them to yet another one-run loss. </p>
<p id="a1wgLJ">Back in Miami, the Fish will take on the San Francisco Giants for a four-game weekend series. The series preview will give you all the details:</p>
<ul>
<li id="1MvwmM">Schedule, Watch, Listen</li>
<li id="1jgrs6">Probable Pitchers</li>
<li id="J4VSlQ">Recent Lineups</li>
<li id="flIOQn">What To Watch For</li>
<li id="I4oiga">Poll: How Will This Series Play Out?</li>
</ul>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="uWS2Da">
<h3 id="avbuGP"><strong>Schedule, Watch, Listen</strong></h3>
<p id="oEOZfR"><strong>Thursday, June 2 at 6:40 pm</strong></p>
<p id="MSEx9x"><strong>Friday, June 3 at 6:40 pm</strong></p>
<p id="bHs0u6"><strong>Saturday, June 4 at 4:10 pm </strong></p>
<p id="CurlD9"><strong>Sunday, June 5 at 1:40 pm</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="3MikT2">
<strong>TV broadcast for all 4 games: </strong>Bally Sports Florida (Paul Severino and J.P. Arencibia)</li>
<li id="mnV4i3">
<strong>Radio broadcast for all 4 games: </strong>940 AM WINZ, WAQI 710 </li>
</ul>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="dijOoq">
<div id="OOIFf3"><div data-anthem-component="gallery:11272916"></div></div>
<h3 id="Q4BDbW"><strong>Probable Pitchers</strong></h3>
<p id="KJv6V5"><strong>Thursday: LHP </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/woodal02.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral"><strong>Alex Wood</strong></a><strong> vs. RHP </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/alcansa01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral"><strong>Sandy Alcantara</strong></a><strong> </strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="buhjDC">
<strong>Wood:</strong> 4.81 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 23.7 K%, 27.7 HardContact% in 43.0 IP</li>
<li id="DBurIF">
<strong>Alcantara:</strong> 2.00 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 24.1 K%, 23.4 HardContact% in 67.2 IP</li>
</ul>
<p id="cF2kgP"><strong>Friday: RHP </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cobbal01.shtml"><strong>Alex Cobb</strong></a><strong> vs. RHP </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hernael01.shtml"><strong>Elieser Hernandez</strong></a></p>
<ul>
<li id="Y9KTCK">
<strong>Cobb:</strong> 5.73 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 28.7 K%, 18.6 HardContact% in 37.2 IP</li>
<li id="f1zYpz">
<strong>Hernandez:</strong> 5.77 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 20.6 K%, 25.8 HardContact% in 43.2 IP</li>
</ul>
<p id="tN7NRp"><strong>Saturday: RHP </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/webblo01.shtml"><strong>Logan Webb</strong></a><strong> vs. RHP </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lopezpa01.shtml"><strong>Pablo López</strong></a><strong> </strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="k0R099">
<strong>Webb:</strong> 3.52 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 20.0 K%, 29.4 HardContact% in 61.1 IP</li>
<li id="dHXsJ1">
<strong>López:</strong> 1.83 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 26.5 K%, 21.7 HardContact% in 59.0 IP</li>
</ul>
<p id="AKoPgH"><strong>Sunday: RHP </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/junisja01.shtml"><strong>Jakob Junis</strong></a><strong> vs. MIA TBA</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="KK7KmJ">
<strong>Junis:</strong> 2.68 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 18.8 K%, 24.7 HardContact% in 37.0 IP</li>
<li id="wpSzVt">
<strong>MIA TBA:</strong> Will update when announced.</li>
</ul>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="K78lQ0">
<h3 id="U6aSEL"><strong>Projected Lineups</strong></h3>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Giants most recent lineup: La Stella (DH), Yastrzemski (CF), Flores (1B), Pederson (LF), Crawford (SS), Casali (C), Gonzalez (RF), Walton (2B), Vosler (3B). " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xW0tcfXCXRsHn5py8PDhcyKtGl8=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23602719/Screen_Shot_2022_06_01_at_9.39.51_PM.png">
<cite>Roster Resource / FanGraphs</cite>
<figcaption><em>Giants recent lineups. </em></figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Marlins most recent lineup: Berti (3B), Cooper (DH), Soler (LF), Aguilar (1B), Sanchez (CF), De La Cruz (RF), Rojas (SS), Stallings (C), Astudillo (2B). " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Y5Zyse9ePeyDTWCAoXvn-pzwF6k=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23602722/Screen_Shot_2022_06_01_at_9.39.27_PM.png">
<cite>Roster Resource / FanGraphs</cite>
<figcaption><em>Marlins recent lineups. </em></figcaption>
</figure>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="GRgaSN">
<h3 id="mGIosp"><strong>What to watch for on...</strong></h3>
<p id="vwo0us"><strong>Thursday: Opening Day revenge for </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/alcansa01.shtml"><strong>Sandy Alcantara</strong></a><strong>. </strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="wq3G07">Alcantara vs. Giants on April 8: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 4 K. </li>
<li id="YmRWlA">The last time the Giants saw Sandy was on Opening Day where he wasn’t sharp, but the right-hander’s last four starts have been nothing short of magnificent. He’s settled into a groove, allowing just three earned runs, six walks, and 32 strikeouts over the last 32 innings pitched. This rematch comes on another special occasion as Major League Baseball celebrates <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-celebrates-second-annual-lou-gehrig-day">Lou Gehrig Day</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p id="GdGPew"><strong>Friday: </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/pederjo01.shtml"><strong>Joc Pederson</strong></a><strong> vs. </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hernael01.shtml"><strong>Elieser Hernandez</strong></a><strong>. </strong></p>
<ul><li id="DSAOgA">Pederson career vs. Hernandez: 0-8, 5 K, 45.8 Whiff%.</li></ul>
<p id="MB37jE">Elieser didn’t start during the Marlins’ opening series in San Francisco, so Giants hitters don’t have a ton of at-bats against Hernandez. Hernandez has been vulnerable to the long ball in 2022. His 14 home runs allowed is third most in baseball, behind only Nathan Eovaldi and Hunter Greene. The Giants have the eighth-most home runs in baseball, and Pederson leads the team with 12. Which player will prevail on Friday?</p>
<p id="BBbBP1"><strong>Saturday: NL ERA leader </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lopezpa01.shtml"><strong>Pablo López</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="oJZzei">López vs. Giants on April 9: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. </li>
<li id="KdYFEf">The only run Pablo allowed in his first start of the season came on a Steven Duggar RBI double. After a fantastic April, López had a few bumpy starts in May but still managed to hold onto the NL ERA crown. </li>
</ul>
<p id="FXzvzv"><strong>Sunday: Giants’ starter </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/junisja01.shtml"><strong>Jakob Junis</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="0fwcx0">After five mediocre seasons with the Royals, Junis signed with the Giants this offseason and is off to a good start. </li>
<li id="8JtyJZ">Junis relies heavily on his slider, going to the pitch more than half the time. He also has a sinker and changeup. Batters tend to chase Junis’ slider (40.0% vs. league average 32.1% O-Sw%), but it doesn’t garner a lot of swinging strikes (14.1% vs. league average 15.1%).</li>
</ul>
<div id="iyANq2"><div data-anthem-component="poll:11272943"></div></div>
https://www.fishstripes.com/2022/6/2/23151057/giants-vs-marlins-series-previewNicole Cahill2022-05-30T12:35:27-04:002022-05-30T12:35:27-04:00May 30-June 1: Marlins at Rockies Series Preview
<figure>
<img alt="Colorado Rockies second baseman Brendan Rodgers (7) celebrates after hitting a double against the Miami Marlins in the fifth inning at Coors Field.&nbsp;" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/etfwPAWgIXbu4zgPvo63i9hKMvU=/0x2:6742x4497/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70924769/usa_today_16532234.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Michael Ciaglo/USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It’s time for afternoon baseball!</p> <p id="UjwfTx">The Miami Marlins continue to disappoint. In the month of May, they’re 7-18 with 11 of those losses coming in one-run games. They’ll face the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The Rockies are 21-26 and have lost seven of their last ten games. The Marlins will head home after Wednesday’s afternoon game and get ready for a four-game weekend series against the San Francisco Giants. </p>
<p id="EwFv73"><em>Note: Tuesday’s game was cancelled due to weather and will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Wednesday. </em></p>
<p id="qwCFZu">The series preview will give you all the details:</p>
<ul>
<li id="1MvwmM">Schedule, Watch, Listen</li>
<li id="1jgrs6">Probable Pitchers</li>
<li id="J4VSlQ">Recent Lineups</li>
<li id="flIOQn">What To Watch For</li>
<li id="I4oiga">Poll: How Will This Series Play Out?</li>
</ul>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="uWS2Da">
<h3 id="avbuGP"><strong>Schedule, Watch, Listen</strong></h3>
<p id="oEOZfR"><strong>Monday, May 30 at 4:10 pm</strong></p>
<p id="MSEx9x"><s><strong>Tuesday, May 31 at 8:40 pm</strong></s></p>
<p id="bHs0u6"><strong>Wednesday, June 1 at 3:10 pm & 6:40 pm</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="3MikT2">
<strong>TV broadcast for all 3 games: </strong>Bally Sports Florida (Paul Severino and J.P. Arencibia)</li>
<li id="mnV4i3">
<strong>Radio broadcast for all 3 games: </strong>940 AM WINZ, WAQI 710 </li>
</ul>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="dijOoq">
<div id="OOIFf3"><div data-anthem-component="gallery:11269118"></div></div>
<h3 id="Q4BDbW"><strong>Probable Pitchers</strong></h3>
<p id="cF2kgP"><strong>Monday: RHP </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lopezpa01.shtml"><strong>Pablo López</strong></a><strong> vs. RHP </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/feltnry01.shtml"><strong>Ryan Feltner</strong></a></p>
<ul>
<li id="Y9KTCK">
<strong>López:</strong> 2.04 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 27.1 K%, 22.2 HardContact% in 53.0 IP</li>
<li id="f1zYpz">
<strong>Feltner:</strong> 5.40 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 31.8 K%, 27.3 HardContact% in 10.0 IP</li>
</ul>
<p id="tN7NRp"><strong>Wednesday (G1): RHP </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/search/search.fcgi?pid=cabreed02,cabrer005edw&search=Edward+Cabrera&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral"><strong>Edward Cabrera</strong></a><strong> vs. RHP </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/senzaan01.shtml"><strong>Antonio Senzatela</strong></a></p>
<ul>
<li id="k0R099">
<strong>Cabrera (2021):</strong> 5.81 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 23.3 K%, 27.5 HardContact% in 26.1 IP</li>
<li id="dHXsJ1">
<strong>Senzatela:</strong> 4.55 ERA, 1.89 WHIP, 8.0 K%, 36.3 HardContact% in 29.2 IP</li>
</ul>
<p id="KJv6V5"><strong>Wednesday (G2): LHP </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rogertr01.shtml"><strong>Trevor Rogers</strong></a><strong> vs. RHP </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/marquge01.shtml"><strong>Germán Márquez</strong></a></p>
<ul>
<li id="buhjDC">
<strong>Rogers:</strong> 5.23 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 20.2 K%, 24.7 HardContact% in 41.1 IP</li>
<li id="DBurIF">
<strong>Márquez:</strong> 6.30 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 18.1 K%, 36.7 HardContact% in 50.0 IP</li>
</ul>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="K78lQ0">
<h3 id="U6aSEL"><strong>Projected Lineups</strong></h3>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Marlins most recent lineup: Berti (LF), Chisholm Jr. (2B), Soler (DH), Cooper (1B), Rojas (SS), De La Cruz (RF), Sanchez (CF), Astudillo (3B), Fortes (C)." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QmujHaaJHdacFJvd3L2wmiZCRLs=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23596918/Screen_Shot_2022_05_30_at_11.38.11_AM.png">
<cite>Roster Resource / FanGraphs</cite>
<figcaption><em>Marlins recent lineups. </em></figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Rockies most recent lineup: Blackmon (DH), Daza (CF), Cron (1B), McMahon (3B), Iglesias (SS), Grichuk (RF), Rodgers (2B), Hilliard (LF), Diaz (C)." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IjA7YSezlnKD9VyNIipd1lYc4-g=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23596919/Screen_Shot_2022_05_30_at_11.38.39_AM.png">
<cite>Roster Resource / FanGraphs</cite>
<figcaption><em>Rockies recent lineups. </em></figcaption>
</figure>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="obgRvL">
<h3 id="mGIosp"><strong>What to watch for on...</strong></h3>
<p id="vwo0us"><strong>Monday: How rocky will the road be for </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lopezpa01.shtml"><strong>Pablo López</strong></a><strong>?</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="wq3G07">López vs. Colorado in 2021: 8.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K. </li>
<li id="YmRWlA">Pablo is coming off back-to-back rough starts against Washington and Tampa Bay in which he allowed more earned runs (7 ER) in those two starts than he did in his first seven starts (5 ER) of 2022. Coors Field is a notoriously tough park for pitchers and is one that López has never pitched in. </li>
</ul>
<p id="GdGPew"><strong>Tuesday: </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cabreed02.shtml"><strong>Edward Cabrera’s</strong></a><strong> season debut. </strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="DSAOgA">Cabrera in 6 minor league starts in 2022: 4.23 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 12.7 K/9, 4.9 BB/9, 0.7 HR/9.</li>
<li id="TPwuUA">Beyond injuries, a big issue for the young right-hander is his control. In 2021, he walked 19 batters in 26 <sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>3</sub> innings, giving him a staggering 6.5 walks per 9 innings. In the minor leagues this season, he walked 15 batters in 27 <sup>2</sup>⁄<sub>3</sub> innings. <a href="https://www.fishstripes.com/2022/5/24/23139384/marlins-top-mlb-prospects-leaderboards">Ely noted last week</a> that Cabrera’s put together good starts recently and is making strides with his curveball. His repertoire also features a high-90s fastball, changeup, and slider. </li>
</ul>
<p id="MB37jE"><strong>Wednesday: End the series on a high note.</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="oJZzei">The Marlins have had trouble closing out series in May. They’ve lost the final game in seven of their nine series this month after dropping just two of six series finales in April.</li>
<li id="KdYFEf">After the 3-game series in Colorado, the fish will head home to host San Francisco for a 4-game weekend series.</li>
</ul>
<div id="iyANq2"><div data-anthem-component="poll:11269109"></div></div>
https://www.fishstripes.com/2022/5/30/23147469/marlins-at-rockies-series-previewNicole Cahill2022-05-27T09:15:00-04:002022-05-27T09:15:00-04:00May 27-29: Marlins at Braves Series Preview
<figure>
<img alt="Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (13) walks back to the dugout after striking out as Miami Marlins catcher Jacob Stallings (58) looks on at loanDepot Park.&nbsp;" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2EzRsDyhNuN11dOcqucS79yHdjk=/71x0:2929x1905/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70916532/usa_today_18329530.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Jim Rassol/USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Let’s (again) try this again!</p> <p id="UjwfTx">The Miami Marlins are coming off the losing end of the Citrus Series sweep. They’ve lost six of their last ten games and hold an 18-24 record. The Fish will attempt to make up ground in the NL East with three games in Atlanta this weekend. When these two teams met last week, the Braves took two of three games in Miami. </p>
<p id="qwCFZu">The series preview will give you all the details:</p>
<ul>
<li id="1MvwmM">Schedule, Watch, Listen</li>
<li id="1jgrs6">Probable Pitchers</li>
<li id="J4VSlQ">Recent Lineups</li>
<li id="flIOQn">What To Watch For</li>
<li id="I4oiga">Poll: How Will This Series Play Out?</li>
</ul>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="uWS2Da">
<h3 id="avbuGP"><strong>Schedule, Watch, Listen</strong></h3>
<p id="oEOZfR"><strong>Friday, May 27 at 7:20 pm</strong></p>
<p id="MSEx9x"><strong>Saturday, May 28 at 4:10 pm</strong></p>
<p id="bHs0u6"><strong>Sunday, May 29 at 1:35 pm</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="3MikT2">
<strong>TV broadcast for all 3 games: </strong>Bally Sports Florida </li>
<li id="mnV4i3">
<strong>Radio broadcast for all 3 games: </strong>940 AM WINZ, WAQI 710 </li>
</ul>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="dijOoq">
<div id="OOIFf3"><div data-anthem-component="gallery:11265210"></div></div>
<h3 id="Q4BDbW"><strong>Probable Pitchers</strong></h3>
<p id="cF2kgP"><strong>Friday: LHP </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rogertr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral"><strong>Trevor Rogers</strong></a><strong> vs. RHP </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/anderia01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral"><strong>Ian Anderson</strong></a><strong> </strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="Y9KTCK">
<strong>Rogers:</strong> 5.20 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 20.9 K%, 24.5 HardContact% in 36.1 IP</li>
<li id="f1zYpz">
<strong>Anderson:</strong> 4.07 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 17.1 K%, 29.3 HardContact% in 42.0 IP</li>
</ul>
<p id="tN7NRp"><strong>Saturday: RHP </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/alcansa01.shtml"><strong>Sandy Alcantara</strong></a><strong> vs. LHP </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/davidtu01.shtml"><strong>Tucker Davidson</strong></a></p>
<ul>
<li id="k0R099">
<strong>Alcantara:</strong> 2.11 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 20.8 K%, 23.0 HardContact% in 59.2 IP</li>
<li id="dHXsJ1">
<strong>Davidson:</strong> 8.71 ERA, 2.03 WHIP, 13.2 K%, 20.8 HardContact% in 10.1 IP</li>
</ul>
<p id="KJv6V5"><strong>Sunday: RHP </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hernael01.shtml"><strong>Elieser Hernandez</strong></a><strong> vs. LHP </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/friedma01.shtml"><strong>Max Fried</strong></a></p>
<ul>
<li id="buhjDC">
<strong>Hernandez:</strong> 5.45 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 21.1 K%, 23.4 HardContact% in 39.2 IP</li>
<li id="gOCSta">
<strong>Fried:</strong> 3.27 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 23.3 K%, 28.8 HardContact% in 55.0 IP</li>
</ul>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="K78lQ0">
<h3 id="U6aSEL"><strong>Projected Lineups</strong></h3>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Marlins most recent lineup: Cooper (1B), Aguilar (DH), Soler (LF), Garcia (RF), Anderson (3B), Stallings (C), Sanchez (CF), Rojas (SS), Gonzalez (2B)." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Mi0c-qIpxUakwaxYMZ5dJ_a5lSc=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23591245/Screen_Shot_2022_05_26_at_8.46.02_PM.png">
<cite>Roster Resource / FanGraphs</cite>
<figcaption><em>Marlins recent lineups. </em></figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Braves most recent lineup: Albies (2B), Swanson (SS), Riley (3B), Olson (1B), d’Arnaud (C), Contreras (DH), Duvall (RF), Arcia (LF), Heredia (CF)." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dJK3FC_sP2bZ3gAQ2Sdr2IZ2oTk=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23591247/Screen_Shot_2022_05_26_at_8.45.21_PM.png">
<cite>Roster Resource / FanGraphs</cite>
<figcaption><em>Braves recent lineups. </em></figcaption>
</figure>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="obgRvL">
<h3 id="mGIosp"><strong>What to watch for on...</strong></h3>
<p id="vwo0us"><strong>Friday: Can </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rogertr01.shtml"><strong>Trevor Rogers</strong></a><strong> rebound?</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="wq3G07">Rogers vs. Atlanta on May 20: 4.0 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 3 HR.</li>
<li id="YmRWlA">Trevor hasn’t had it this season and the Braves got to him in his last start, tagging the lefty for three long balls. He doesn’t have much time to rebound either, because he’s taking the mound against Atlanta for the second start in a row. Dansby Swanson, who took Trevor deep last week, sees him well and has been extra hot lately. Making the matchup somewhat less imposing, Ronald Acuña Jr. (quad strain) has been <a href="https://www.batterypower.com/2022/5/26/23143854/atlanta-braves-news-brian-snitker-ronald-acuna-jr-will-miss-fridays-game">ruled out</a> of playing in the series opener.</li>
</ul>
<p id="GdGPew"><strong>Saturday: Can </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/alcansa01.shtml"><strong>Sandy Alcantara</strong></a><strong> do it again?</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="DSAOgA">Alcantara vs. Atlanta on May 22: 9.0 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K.</li>
<li id="TPwuUA">Sandy tossed his fourth career complete game against the Braves last weekend. The game was closer than his line would lead you to believe, though. Atlanta scored three unearned runs on two errors, including two in the top of the ninth inning. While Rogers will try to do a 180 on Friday, Alcantara will try to keep things trending in the right direction in his back-to-back start against the Braves. </li>
</ul>
<p id="MB37jE"><strong>Sunday: Andy & Coop fry Fried.</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="oJZzei">
<a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/anderbr06.shtml">Brian Anderson</a> career vs. <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/friedma01.shtml">Max Fried</a>: 7-for-15, 2 HR, 3 K, 1 BB. Avg exit velo: 91.4 mph.</li>
<li id="KdYFEf">
<a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/coopega03.shtml">Garrett Cooper</a> career vs. <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/friedma01.shtml">Max Fried</a>: 5-for-12, 2 2B, 2 K, 2 BB. Avg exit velo: 95.1 mph.</li>
</ul>
<div id="iyANq2"><div data-anthem-component="poll:11264658"></div></div>
https://www.fishstripes.com/2022/5/27/23143175/marlins-at-braves-series-previewNicole Cahill2022-05-24T08:00:00-04:002022-05-24T08:00:00-04:00May 24-25: Marlins at Rays Citrus Series Preview
<figure>
<img alt="Miami Marlins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez (49) checks as Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Joey Wendle (18) leads off of first base during the first inning of a game at Tropicana Field." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tDF_JkWQ-aGi7OiaD3toQWHv9Vg=/0x0:2000x1333/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70903897/usa_today_14925188.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Mary Holt/USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A 2-game Citrus Series begins tonight in St. Petersburg.</p> <p id="UjwfTx">The Miami Marlins lost their weekend series against the Atlanta Braves, but they finally won a one-run ballgame on Sunday. As disappointing as they’ve been, Miami is still bunched up in the middle of the NL East with Atlanta and Philadelphia. </p>
<p id="v4irnh">The Rays are coming off a tough loss of their own, getting walked-off by the Orioles in the 11th inning of Sunday’s game. The Marlins will play a quick two games in St. Petersburg, take Thursday off, then play the Braves in Atlanta this weekend.</p>
<p id="qwCFZu">The series preview will give you all the details:</p>
<ul>
<li id="1MvwmM">Schedule, Watch, Listen</li>
<li id="1jgrs6">Probable Pitchers</li>
<li id="J4VSlQ">Recent Lineups</li>
<li id="flIOQn">What To Watch For</li>
<li id="I4oiga">Poll: How Will This Series Play Out?</li>
</ul>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="uWS2Da">
<h3 id="avbuGP"><strong>Schedule, Watch, Listen</strong></h3>
<p id="oEOZfR"><strong>Tuesday, May 24 at 6:40 pm</strong></p>
<p id="MSEx9x"><strong>Wednesday, May 25 at 6:40 pm</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="3MikT2">
<strong>TV broadcast for both games: </strong>Bally Sports Florida </li>
<li id="mnV4i3">
<strong>Radio broadcast for both games: </strong>940 AM WINZ, WAQI 710 </li>
</ul>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="dijOoq">
<div id="OOIFf3"><div data-anthem-component="gallery:11260148"></div></div>
<h3 id="Q4BDbW"><strong>Probable Pitchers</strong></h3>
<p id="cF2kgP"><strong>Tuesday: RHP </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lopezpa01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral"><strong>Pablo López</strong></a><strong> vs. LHP </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mcclash01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral"><strong>Shane McClanahan</strong></a><strong> </strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="Y9KTCK">
<strong>López:</strong> 1.57 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 27.0 K%, 21.3 HardContact% in 46.0 IP</li>
<li id="f1zYpz">
<strong>McClanahan:</strong> 2.33 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 36.7 K%, 20.3 HardContact% in 46.1 IP</li>
</ul>
<p id="tN7NRp"><strong>Wednesday: RHP </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/poteeco01.shtml"><strong>Cody Poteet</strong></a><strong> vs. RHP </strong><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rasmudr01.shtml"><strong>Drew Rasmussen</strong></a></p>
<ul>
<li id="k0R099">
<strong>Poteet:</strong> 0.78 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 22.4 K%, 26.2 HardContact% in 23.0 IP</li>
<li id="dHXsJ1">
<strong>Rasmussen:</strong> 2.33 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 22.4 K%, 28.5 HardContact% in 38.2 IP</li>
</ul>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="K78lQ0">
<h3 id="U6aSEL"><strong>Projected Lineups</strong></h3>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Marlins most recent lineup: Chisholm Jr. (2B), Aguilar (1B), Cooper (DH), Garcia (RF), Anderson (3B), Sanchez (CF), De La Cruz (LF), Gonzalez (SS), Stallings (C)." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ddV7GKFIom2ZrezKBlnRaXPbTFw=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23584022/MIA5.png">
<cite>Roster Resource / FanGraphs</cite>
<figcaption><em>Marlins recent lineups. </em></figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Rays most recent lineup: Kiermaier (CF), Arozarena (LF), Choi (1B), Ramirez (DH), Brujan (2B), Paredes (3B), Phillips (RF), Zunino (C), Walls (SS)." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-bx4NsFYBmcj71ldriyji9oyFxY=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23584023/TB.png">
<cite>Roster Resource / FanGraphs</cite>
<figcaption><em>Rays recent lineups. </em></figcaption>
</figure>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="obgRvL">
<h3 id="mGIosp"><strong>What to watch for on...</strong></h3>
<p id="vwo0us"><strong>Tuesday: Battle of the aces. </strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="wq3G07">NL ERA leader <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lopezpa01.shtml">Pablo López</a> matches up against Rays lefty <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mcclash01.shtml">Shane McClanahan</a>. </li>
<li id="YmRWlA">We know how great López is, so let’s give McClanahan some love. His 36.7% strikeout rate is the second-highest among all qualified starting pitchers. He doesn’t have one pitch he favors heavily in two-strike counts, splitting evenly between his curveball, changeup, and slider. All three of these pitches generate frequent whiffs and induce soft, ground ball contact. </li>
</ul>
<p id="GdGPew"><strong>Wednesday: Will the young studs be healthy?</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="DSAOgA">Marlins’ <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/chishja01.shtml">Jazz Chisholm Jr.</a> left Sunday’s game after just two innings with left hamstring tightness. </li>
<li id="TPwuUA">Rays’ <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/francwa01.shtml">Wander Franco</a> has been sidelined with leg injuries over the past few days. </li>
</ul>
<div id="iyANq2"><div data-anthem-component="poll:11257033"></div></div>
https://www.fishstripes.com/2022/5/24/23136124/marlins-at-rays-citrus-series-previewNicole Cahill