Phillies at Marlins: Series Preview
Sep 19, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Miami Marlins GM Dan Jennings took over the reigns as interim manager back in May, and has been evaluating the on-field talent during injury-riddled season for the Fish. (Photo Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports)
The Phillies were last in South Florida a month ago to visit the Miami Marlins. At that point, the Fightins still appeared to actually have some fight left in them, taking the final three games of a 4-game series at Marlins Park.
The club has just one other 3-game winning streak since that time, and has lost 20 of 26 games in the ensuing four weeks. They are now a season-worst 38 games below the .500 mark. Meanwhile, the Marlins are 22 games below .500 themselves, yet still lead the Phils by 8 games in the NL East standings. This does not bode well for viewers who would prefer to watch great baseball.
As covered by our own Tyler DiSalle here at TBOH earlier today, the Marlins have been victimized by a number of key injuries this season. Most importantly, the man who is arguably the most feared slugger in the game when healthy, Giancarlo Stanton, has been out since late June, and will not likely return in 2015.
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Leading the Fish offense in Stanton’s absence are speedy 2nd baseman Dee Gordon, son of ex-Phils closer Tom, who made his 2nd straight NL All-Star team. Gordon is batting .332 with a .356 OBP, leads the club with 187 hits and 78 runs scored, and has put tremendous pressure on opposing defenses with his 53 stolen bases.
Providing power has been 1st baseman Justin Bour. The 27-year old rookie has 18 homers and 62 RBI, the highest totals on the club aside from Stanton, who still leads the team with 27 and 67 despite missing nearly three months.
Talented 23-year old outfielder Christian Yelich is on a bit of a tear, hitting for a .444/.444/.630 slash line over his last half-dozen games. The Miami attack also includes veteran 3rd baseman Martin Prado, hitting .287 with 9 homers and 56 RBI.
Fans can also get a look at 41-year old living legend Ichiro Suzuki, who is now just 67 hits shy of reaching the 3,000 career MLB hits mark. It’s all the more impressive when you consider that he did not come over from Japan for his first season in the States until he was aged 27 in 2001.
On the mound, A.J. Ramos has stepped up and proven himself to be an extremely effective closer. Ramos has appeared in 66 games and registered 28 Saves. He has a 2.48 ERA, a 1.026 WHIP, and has allowed just 42 hits with an 81/25 K:BB ratio.
Getting the ball to Ramos late in games can be a problem for Miami, as they have experienced almost as many problems with their setup work out of the bullpen as have the Phillies during this season.
On the mound during this series, the Fish will roll out underrated righty Tom Koehler for tonight’s opener, rookie lefty Adam Conley on Wednesday, and the old “TBD” for the Thursday series finale. We’ll break down the pitching matchups next.
Next: PHILLIES-MARLINS PITCHING MATCHUPS
Aug 30, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Asher (49) makes his way to the dugout before his first Major League start against the San Diego Padres at Citizens Bank Park. (Photo Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports)
PITCHING MATCHUPS
TUESDAY: Aaron Harang (5-15, 5.04 ERA) vs Tom Koehler (10-13, 3.90 ERA) – the Phillies have not publicly announced the starting pitcher for the opener as of mid-afternoon on Tuesday. The 37-year old veteran Harang has been able to give the Phillies a minimum of 5 innings in 24 of his 26 starts, and was somewhat effective in his last outing 9 days against in a game that the team won vs the Cubs. He was signed to eat up innings during a losing, transitional year. At least he is doing that much. Koehler has allowed fewer hits than innings pitched, but is prone to handing out free passes. He has gone at least 6 innings in 3/4 of his 29 starts, and has delivered 3 consecutive Quality Starts for the Fish.
WEDNESDAY: David Buchanan (2-9, 8.49 ERA) vs Adam Conley (4-1, 4.22 ERA) – in total, Buchanan has been given a dozen starts by the Phillies this season, and he has been abysmal. However, in his last start exactly one week ago vs the Nationals, the 26-year old righty ended a streak of 3 consecutive starts in which he was bombed. Against the Nats, Buchanan delivered 6 innings, allowing just 2 earned runs, 5 hits, and 1 walk. Conley is a 25-year old rookie lefty who has appeared in a dozen games for the Fish. This will be the 8th start of his big league career, and he is coming off a gem against the division-leading New York Mets. In that outing a week ago, Conley shut the Mets out on 3 hits across 7 innings in which he struck out 6 and walked no one.
THURSDAY: Alec Asher (0-4, 9.78 ERA) vs Jarred Cosart (2-4, 4.43 ERA) – the Fish have not publicly announced a starter for this one, and it could turn out to be their ace, Jose Fernandez, who gets the nod. However, with Fernandez coming off TJ surgery, and with nothing to play for in the standings, there is no need to rush the righty. Cosart returned after a two month demotion to AAA, and has made 3 September starts. His last outing will have been a week before this, and was one of his best, allowing just 2 earned on 3 hits across 6 innings in earning a win vs Washington. The 23-year old rookie Asher has been given 4 starts since being acquired as part of the Hamels deal. He has yet to deliver what could be termed an effective outing.
Next: PHILLIES-MARLINS SERIES KEYS
Sep 20, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Galvis (13) slides back to first base to avoid being a double play victim against the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning at Turner Field. (Photo Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports)
SERIES KEYS
Start Getting Offensive Results – this is so basic, obvious, and non-specific. But the fact is that if this team is going to have any prayer of winning 7 of their final 12 games and avoiding the franchise’ first 100-loss season since 1961, they are going to have to find a way to score regularly. That is a tall order, especially considering the options that they are currently sending to the plate. The Phils have scored just 5 runs in their last 5 games, and have scored 4 or more runs just 7 times in 18 games in September.
See number one – read previous paragraph again
Next: PHILLIES-MARLINS: MEDIA/WEATHER/INJURIES
Jun 16, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins left fielder Yelich (21) connects for a base hit during the eighth inning against the New York Yankees at Marlins Park. The Marlins won 12-2. (Photo Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports)
MEDIA WATCH: TV & RADIO SCHEDULE
| Tuesday, September 22/ | @Miami/ | 7:10 PM/ | CSN/ | 1210 WPHT, 94 WIP, WTTM 1680 (Sp.) |
| Wednesday, September 23/ | @Miami/ | 7:10 PM/ | CSN/ | 1210 WPHT, 94 WIP, WTTM 1680 (Sp.) |
| Thursday, September 24/ | @Miami/ | 7:10 PM/ | CSN/ | 1210 WPHT, WTTM 1680 (Sp.), 94 WIP |
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE forecast for Marlins Park in Miami, FL (NOTE: retractable roof means weather not a likely factor in games)
This Afternoon
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 88. East wind around 9 mph.
Tonight
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 76. North wind 3 to 5 mph.
Wednesday
A chance of showers and thunderstorms between 8am and 2pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 85. East wind 3 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Wednesday Night
Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 8pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 76. Northeast wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Thursday
Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 2pm, then showers and thunderstorms likely after 2pm. Cloudy, with a high near 86. Calm wind becoming east 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
INJURIES / DISABLED LISTS
| MARLINS | Updated | Status | Due Back | Injury | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alvarez, Henderson (P) | 09/08 | Out for Season | 2016 | Recovering from July 2015 right shoulder surgery | Underwent surgery to repair torn labrum July 28; transferred to 60-day DL on Sept. 8. | |
| Capps, Carter (P) | 09/18 | 15-day DL | Likely late September | Right elbow strain | Threw simulated game Sept. 18. | |
| Crow, Aaron (P) | 05/07 | Out for Season | 2016 | Recovering from April 2015 Tommy John surgery | Underwent Tommy John surgery April 8. | |
| Flores, Kendry (P) | 09/04 | 15-day DL | TBD | Right shoulder tendinitis | Sent on Class A Advanced rehab assignment Sept. 4. | |
| Hechavarria, Adeiny (SS) | 09/15 | Any day | Day-to-day | Left hamstring strain | Has not played since Sept. 2; running, hitting and fielding as of Sept. 15 update. | |
| Kelly, Don (3B) | 09/02 | Out for Season | 2016 | Recovering from July 2015 Tommy John surgery | Underwent Tommy John surgery July 14; transferred to 60-day DL on Sept. 2. | |
| Phelps, David (P) | 08/19 | Out for Season | 2016 | Right forearm fracture | Will miss rest of season after MRI revealed fracture. | |
| Prado, Martin (3B) | 09/20 | Any day | TBD | Sore left wrist | Not in starting lineup Sept. 18-20. | |
| Stanton, Giancarlo (RF) | 09/19 | 15-day DL | Possibly late September | Recovering from June 2015 left hand surgery | Skipped BP on Sept. 19 as part of team decision. Still no exact timetable as of Sept. 19 update. |
| PHILLIES | Updated | Status | Due Back | Injury | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Araujo, Elvis (P) | 09/04 | 60-day DL | Possibly September | Strained left groin | Placed on 15-day DL on Aug. 28; transferred to 60-day DL on Sept. 4. | |
| Billingsley, Chad (P) | 09/01 | 60-day DL | TBD | Right flexor strain | Transferred to 60-day DL on Sept. 1. | |
| Brown, Domonic (LF) | 09/12 | Out Indefinitely | Possibly late September | Concussion | Exited game early Sept. 2; diagnosed with concussion Sept. 3. | |
| Franco, Maikel (3B) | 09/16 | 15-day DL | Possibly late September | Left wrist fracture | Will begin working out at team’s Florida complex Sept. 16; could return as early as Sept. 22. | |
| Harrison, Matt (P) | 09/01 | 60-day DL | TBD | Lower back inflammation | Transferred to 60-day DL on Sept. 1. | |
| Hernandez, Cesar (3B) | 09/14 | Out for Season | 2016 | Dislocated left thumb | Placed on 60-day DL on Sept. 14. | |
| Hollands, Mario (P) | 04/20 | Out for Season | 2016 | Recovering from April 2015 Tommy John surgery | Underwent Tommy John surgery April 8. | |
| Howard, Ryan (1B) | 09/20 | Any day | Day-to-day | Left knee | Not in starting lineup Sept. 15-20; MRI revealed no structural damage Sept. 16. | |
| Lee, Cliff (P) | 04/05 | 60-day DL | Possibly 2015 | Left common flexor tendon tear | Shut down from throwing, placed on 60-day DL on March 16. | |
| Pettibone, Jonathan (P) | 08/08 | Out for Season | 2016 | Recovering from July 2015 shoulder surgery | Underwent season-ending surgery July 22. |