Phillies: Opening series pitching matchups vs. Marlins
By Matthew C
A preview of the probable pitching matchups between the Phillies and Marlins
With the Philadelphia Phillies starting their season at home against the Miami Marlins with a three-game series, let’s take a look at the starting pitcher probable for the series.
Game 1: Aaron Nola (PHI) v. Sandy Alcantara (MIA)
7:05 pm EST | Citizens Bank Park | July 24th, 2020
Phillies’ Aaron Nola:
Aaron Nola gets the ball for the Philadelphia Phillies in the season and series opener against the Miami Marlins. This start will mark the third consecutive year where Nola was named the Opening Day starter.
In the 2019 season opener, Nola cruised through six innings on Opening Day against the Atlanta Braves. In those six innings, he allowed just one run and racked up eight strikeouts. In 2018, also against the Braves, he pitched 5 1/3 innings where he allowed one run.
It’s safe to say that past numbers and performances by Nola on Opening Day prove that he is more than qualified to be named the Opening Day starter and lead the pitching staff for the Phillies this season again.
Throughout his five-year MLB career, Nola has pitched in 13 games against the Miami Marlins. He has a 3.28 career ERA against them.
Let’s take a look at the projected numbers this season for Nola, according to Baseball-Reference.
The Louisiana-native is projected to pitch 137 complete innings in 22 games started. Over those 137 innings, he is predicted to rack up 151 strikeouts and post a 3.61 ERA.
Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara:
Miami named 24-year-old Sandy Alcantara their Opening Day starter against the Phillies. Making his MLB debut back in 2017, Alcantara quickly gained a track record of quality starts.
In 2019, he posted a 3.88 ERA in 32 games started for the Marlins. Three of those 32 starts were against the Phillies.
Alcantara had a rocky start facing the Phillies last season, where he allowed six runs over just five innings. The next two starts against the Phillies were better, where he was able to hold the Phils to one run or less in consecutive starts.
According to Baseball-Reference, Alcantara is projected to post a 3.79 ERA this season. Should he post a 3.79 ERA or higher, it would be the highest ERA since 2017 where he posted a 4.32 ERA.
Alcantara’s track record versus Phillies is spotty, and it’d be quite interesting to see the type of start he produces in Opening Day.