Fish Stripes - Miami Marlins vs. St. Louis Cardinals: Stanton's two homers lead to 6-5 winCovering 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..png2014-08-11T22:53:30-04:00http://www.fishstripes.com/rss/stream/57575162014-08-11T22:53:30-04:002014-08-11T22:53:30-04:00MLB Scores: Miami Marlins 6, St. Louis Cardinals 5
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<figcaption>Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Miami Marlins got two home runs from Giancarlo Stanton and took early leads multiple times, but the St. Louis Cardinals fought back and almost stole one from Steve Cishek before Miami eventually closed out the 6-5 win.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.fishstripes.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Miami Marlins</a> went into tonight's contest versus the <a href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">St. Louis Cardinals</a> looking to make headway against a Wild Card leader. Early in the contest, it looked like they had done just that, as <span>Giancarlo Stanton</span> started out the night's festivities with a monster two-run homer in the first inning that drove in <span>Christian Yelich</span> and got the party started for the Fish. Miami took a 2-0 lead on <span>Shelby Miller</span> and the Cards, and it looked as though the night may be long for them.</p>
<p>It looked even more so when Stanton decided to launch a 470-foot dinger into the deepest recesses of left field at Marlins Park. In the third inning, Stanton took Miller deep again, banging a hanging curve out to the right of the Budweiser Bowtie Bar and falling just short of his longest homer of the year. It was 3-0 Marlins and the rout was on.</p>
<p>Except it wasn't. The Cardinals fought right back in the next frame, putting up a three-spot thanks to a few hits off of <span>Tom Koehler</span>. Those hits included a two-run home run by <span>Jon Jay</span> that tied the contest. The Marlins once again fought back in the bottom of the frame, as <span>Jarrod Saltalamacchia</span>, <span>Adeiny Hechavarria</span>, and Yelich combined to bring home two runs and give Miami the lead again.</p>
<p>That lead stuck through many innings and quite a few difficult defensive plays. <span>Marcell Ozuna</span> showed supreme range in flagging down a long fly ball to the right field gap. Stanton and Yelich both made spectacular diving catches to rob extra-base hits. And Hechavarria made one of the best individual Marlins defensive plays of the season, as he went to his left and snagged an up-the-middle grounder and ran back to second to initiate the double play by himself. It was an impressive feat.</p>
<p>But all of those acrobatics almost went for naught. The Marlins held a 6-3 lead and brought in <span>Steve Cishek</span> for what should have been an easy save. Cishek gave up a walk to <span>Peter Bourjos</span> and a triple to <span>Kolten Wong</span> to make it 6-4. He gave up a <span>Matt Holliday</span> single (his fourth hit in four attempts) to make it a one-run contest. But against the lefty <span>Matt Adams</span>, Cishek got the slider to strike him out and end the threat for the Marlins' 58th win of the season.</p>
<p><iframe style="border:1px solid black;" width="450" height="450" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="http://www.fangraphs.com/graphframe.aspx?config=0&static=0&type=livewins&num=0&h=450&w=450&date=2014-08-11&team=Marlins&dh=0"></iframe><br><span>Source: <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/livewins.aspx?date=2014-08-11&team=Marlins&dh=0&season=2014">FanGraphs</a></span></p>
<p><b>Attendance:</b> 21,144<br><b>Hero of the Game:</b> Giancarlo Stanton (0.238 WPA)<br><b>Goat of the Game:</b> Tom Koehler (-0.250 WPA)<br><b>Play of the Game:</b> Jon Jay homered in the fourth inning. A.J. Piezynski scored. (-0.240 WPA)</p>
https://www.fishstripes.com/2014/8/11/5993495/mlb-scores-miami-marlins-6-st-louis-cardinals-5Michael Jong2014-08-11T21:18:18-04:002014-08-11T21:18:18-04:00GIF: Stanton hits two monster homers against Cards
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<figcaption>Joe Robbins</figcaption>
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<p>The Miami Marlins got some pretty monstrous homers from Giancarlo Stanton en route to an early 3-0 lead. One may have been the longest we have seen at Marlins Park.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.fishstripes.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Miami Marlins</a> have an early 3-0 lead over the <a href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">St. Louis Cardinals</a>, and that is largely thanks to <span>Giancarlo Stanton</span> and his monster bat. Stanton launched two mammoth home runs off of Cardinals starter <span>Shelby Miller</span> out to some of the more difficult-to-reach locations in Marlins Park.</p>
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<strong>More Stanton</strong>: <a target="new" href="http://www.fishstripes.com/2014/8/12/5993681/marlins-giancarlo-stanton-has-very-good-chance-to-reach-40-home-runs">40-homer season?</a> <a target="new" href="http://www.fishstripes.com/2014/8/12/5993399/mlb-trade-rumors-giancarlo-stanton-boston-red-sox-wish-list-offseason">Red Sox interested</a> <a target="new" href="http://www.fishstripes.com/2014/8/8/5983237/miami-marlins-giancarlo-stanton-long-term-contract-not-confident">Marlins not confident in deal</a>
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<p>The first one came in the first inning and looked innocuous enough, at least for Stanton standards. He took a Miller pitch to opposite field and drove in two by placing that pitch in the Marlins' bullpen.</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" height="224" width="400" src="http://m.mlb.com/shared/video/embed/embed.html?content_id=35280963&topic_id=8877454&width=400&height=224&property=mlb">Your browser does not support iframes.</iframe></p>
<p>Then the second one was even crazier, as Stanton launched a 2-2 hanging curveball to the deepest recesses of left field in Marlins Park. This</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/assets/4888980/StantonHomer2__1_.gif"><img src="http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/assets/4888980/StantonHomer2__1__medium.gif" class="photo" alt="Stantonhomer2__1__medium"></a> <br id="1407803822801"></p>
<p>That one went as far as the eye could see and bounced up against the closed windows deep in Marlins Park. Stanton demolished that pitch with disdain, and ESPN Home Run Tracker has the early tally on a distance. The estimated true distance of this second blast was 470 feet, which was 14 feet fewer than the longest he hit this season, theĀ <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=31823267&c_id=mlb&topic_id=vtp_longest_drives">484-footer that went over the Bowtie Bar</a>.</p>
<p>Mike Matheny, your thoughts on the matter.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/assets/4889048/MathenyReaction.gif"><img src="http://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/assets/4889048/MathenyReaction_medium.gif" class="photo" alt="Mathenyreaction_medium"></a> <br id="1407804347404"></p>
<p>Yowzas.</p>
<p>The Marlins gave up the 3-0 lead on a <span>Jon Jay</span> home run off of <span>Tom Koehler</span>, but a couple of timely hits in the bottom of the frame gave the Fish a 5-3 lead.</p>
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https://www.fishstripes.com/2014/8/11/5993115/gif-giancarlo-stanton-monster-home-runs-miami-marlins-st-louis-cardinalsMichael Jong2014-08-11T17:34:57-04:002014-08-11T17:34:57-04:00Marlins vs. Cardinals: Game 118 Thread and Ichthy
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<figcaption>Justin K. Aller</figcaption>
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<p>The Miami Marlins are looking to take out another Wild Card competitor as the Fish head home to take on the St. Louis Cardinals in a three-game series. It will be Tom Koehler versus Shelby Miller in the first game of the series.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Miami Marlins</a> face an exceedingly difficult climb to the top of the National League Wild Card race, and the climb continues tonight at Marlins Park. The Fish come home after a midwest swing to face the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">St. Louis Cardinals</a> in a three-game series, with the Cards holding the top Wild Card position and a one-game lead over the next closest Wild Card competitor on the outside looking in. The Fish will want to gain traction against them, but how will they do so?</p>
<h5>Pitching Matchup</h5>
<table border="0" class="sbn-data-table" style=""><tbody style=""> <tr class="ui-state-even" style=""> <th style=""><font face="Arial, Verdana, sans-serif" color="#000000" style="">PROJ ERA</font></th> <th style=""><font face="Arial, Verdana, sans-serif" color="#000000" style="">FIP</font></th> <th style=""><font face="Arial, Verdana, sans-serif" color="#000000" style="">ERA</font></th> <th style=""><font face="Arial, Verdana, sans-serif" color="#000000" style="">MARLINS</font></th> <th style="">Cardinals</th> <th style=""><font face="Arial, Verdana, sans-serif" color="#000000" style="">ERA</font></th> <th style=""><font face="Arial, Verdana, sans-serif" color="#000000" style="">FIP</font></th> <th style=""><font face="Arial, Verdana, sans-serif" color="#000000" style="">PROJ ERA</font></th> </tr> <tr class="ui-state-odd" style=""> <td style="">4.34</td> <td style="">3.93</td> <td style="">3.80</td> <td style="">Koehler</td> <td style="">Miller</td> <td style="">3.99</td> <td style="">4.68</td> <td style="">3.79</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
<p><span>Tom Koehler</span> quietly has put up a halfway acceptable season. For a fourth or fifth starter, Koehler's numbers are downright average; his ERA- and FIP- of 102 and 105 respectively are improvements from last year and are barely worse than the league average.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, <span>Shelby Miller</span> spent all of one outing out of the rotation before being forced back into service in a season in which <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/shelby-miller-looks-broken/">he has looked a bit broken</a>.</p>
<h5>Lineup</h5>
<div class="pane sports_data_widget lineup clearfix"> <h3>Today's Lineups</h3> <div class="lineup"><table class="zebra" cellspacing="0"> <thead> <tr> <th align="left">ST. LOUIS CARDINALS</th> <th align="left">MIAMI MARLINS</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name"> <span>Matt Carpenter</span> - 3B</td> <td class="td-first td-name"> <span>Christian Yelich</span> - LF</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name"> <span>Kolten Wong</span> - 2B</td> <td class="td-first td-name"> <span>Jordany Valdespin</span> - 2B</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name"> <span>Matt Holliday</span> - LF</td> <td class="td-first td-name"> <span>Giancarlo Stanton</span> - RF</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name"> <span>Matt Adams</span> - 1B</td> <td class="td-first td-name"> <span>Casey McGehee</span> - 3B</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name"> <span>Jhonny Peralta</span> - SS</td> <td class="td-first td-name"> <span>Garrett Jones</span> - 1B</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name"> <span>A.J. Pierzynski</span> - C</td> <td class="td-first td-name"> <span>Marcell Ozuna</span> - CF</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name"> <span>Jon Jay</span> - CF</td> <td class="td-first td-name"> <span>Jarrod Saltalamacchia</span> - C</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name"> <span>Oscar Taveras</span> - RF</td> <td class="td-first td-name"> <span>Adeiny Hechavarria</span> - SS</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="td-last td-name">Shelby Miller - RHP</td> <td class="td-first td-name">Tom Koehler - RHP</td> </tr> </tbody> </table></div> </div>
<p>The Marlins will throw out their usual starting lineup, and I will throw out my obligatory "where is <span>Enrique Hernandez</span>?" comment. The Fish have been in <a href="http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2014-08-09/sports/fl-marlins-notes-0810-20140809_1_steve-cishek-marlins-notes-cosart">quite a hitting slump</a> and have been lucky to get out with just a 5-7 record in their last 12 games. The team will hopefully recover against a struggling Miller.</p>
<p><strong>Bold Prediction: Marlins def. Cardinals 4-3</strong></p>
https://www.fishstripes.com/2014/8/11/5992645/miami-marlins-vs-st-louis-cardinals-game-118-thread-and-ichthyomancyMichael Jong