Tag Archive for: nlds

Marlins Drop Game 2

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The Atlanta Braves played our own game and beat us. Countless of us have realized that if we are to beat the juggernaut Braves, we would have to keep each game low scoring. Yesterday, in the Braves’ 2-0 win, we did just that. The Braves only put up runs on Dansby Swanson and Travis D’arnaud solo home runs. Pablo Lopez looked great for the Marlins otherwise, but that still wasn’t enough. The bats have chosen a bad time to go dormant, and with their backs against the wall, this cannot continue.

 

Pablo Lopez did his job for the Marlins

 

In his first career playoff start, Pablo Lopez went 5 innings allowing 2 runs versus one of the most potent offenses in the league. We have talked extensively here on the network, whether it be in these articles or the youtube, about how the key to victory against Atlanta lies in holding their hitting back. It is truly a disheartening sight to see for Marlins fans. They did what they were supposed to and still lost. Pablo pitched great but lost his battle with Ian Anderson, who went 5 ⅔ innings of scoreless baseball. The issue lied today in the hitting, which starkly contrasts game 1. 

Alfaro for Wallach

 

The most notable change that must be made in Chad Wallach to Jorge Alfaro. Wallach is a measly 1-13 in Postseason play, with 0 RBIs, 0 extra-base hits, and 5 strikeouts. The decision to put Wallach in as the starter lied in his comfortability with the pitchers, but in this series with the Braves, it hasn’t mattered much. 11 runs have been allowed with Wallach behind the plate, and it’s hard to say Alfaro would make it any worse. Alfaro provides a stronger bat in the lineup with more pop. A career .262 hitter, Alfaro gives more depth to a floundering lineup, a depth that could push the Marlins over the top. I’d rather take Alfaro in a game-winning situation at the plate than Wallach. Give the young buck a chance.

 

Looking at today’s Marlins game: Could it be our last?

 

Well, if it is, it has been quite the run. The bottom feeders won’t go out without a fight, but unless the bats get out of their slump fast, we could be saying goodbye to Marlins baseball. We have Sixto Sanchez on the mound versus the Braves Kyle Wright. Backs against the wall. October baseball. There is nothing better.

Marlins Drop NLDS Game 1

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This wasn’t the start that we wanted in Houston. The Marlins lose 9-5 versus Atlanta to start the NLDS. The game initially thought to be a pitchers duel between aces Sandy Alcantara and Max Fried, turned into a shootout. With the Braves lineup, that is the type of game they will always win. In the process, the Fish blew an early 4-1 lead. The Braves 6-run 7th inning sealed the deal.

 

The Braves can swing it but are beatable

 

Without a doubt, the Braves have one of the most potent offenses in the league. 3 MVP candidates leadoff their order. Acuna Jr. led off the game with an absolute missile to right-center to put the Braves up 1-0. RBI doubles by Travis D’arnaud and Marcell Ozuna cut the Marlins lead to 4-3 in the 3rd. Finally, in the 7th, D’arnaud’s 3-run homer broke it open, followed by a Dansby Swanson 2-run homer to put it away. The Braves are dependent on the long ball. Keep the ball in the park, and we win. Sandy did just that (for the most part) and saw some success. Today, Pablo Lopez attempts to do the same and lead the Marlins to victory.

 

The Marlins swung it well, struggled to close the door

 

I understand the decision to put Sandy back out on the mound for the 7th. 90 pitches in, he was on a roll. However, it may have been in the Marlins best interest to hand the ball to Boxberger for the 7th, let Yimi get the 8th, and save Kintzler for the 9th. Sandy allowed 2 singles to start the inning and put Yimi Garcia in an extremely tough situation versus the meat of an extremely potent lineup. Mattingly’s decision is definitely questionable, although Sandy most likely had some say in it. Yimi Garcia finally folded and lost us a game. It happens, and he will pick it up going forward. The bats were great early, putting up 4 runs, but they stalled late, as 9 runs from the Braves were too much to overcome.

Looking at today’s game: Marlins vs Braves 

 

Pablo Lopez takes the mound for the Marlins as they try to bounce back versus their division rivals. Ian Anderson takes the ball for Atlanta. The Marlins’ backs are against the wall, but they’ve been here before. Time to defy the odds again.

 

Marlins Braves NLDS

5 Keys to Marlins and Braves NLDS Series

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The Miami Marlins stand among MLB’s final eight teams. The 2-0 sweep of the Chicago Cubs caught most baseball fans by surprise. It marked only the second postseason sweep in franchise history, but the Marlins were not among those astonished by the accomplishment. The Marlins expected to win, as they do against their NL East rival the Atlanta Braves, in the NLDS.

The juggernaut that is the Atlanta lineup presents a far more formidable challenge for the Fish, but there is a pathway for this unlikely Cinderella story to continue.

Here’s a look at five keys to the Marlins and Braves NLDS Series.

Frontline Starting Pitchers Need to Come Through

The Miami Marlins starting pitchers posted a 4.31 cumulative ERA in 2020. That was good for 14th in MLB, but it included 13 different pitchers. The Braves touched up Pablo Lopez, Game 2’s starter, for nine earned runs in 12.2 innings pitched (three starts). Sixto Sanchez made two starts versus Atlanta, surrendering four earned runs over nine innings pitched.

Sandy Alcantara, who has yet to lose against the Braves in his career, takes the hill for the Marlins in Game 1. In three career starts versus Atlanta, Alcantara has a 2.41 ERA without recording a decision. Braves hitters have posted a .230/.338/.279 slash line in 71 career plate appearances versus Alcantara.

The Marlins likely need two of these three pitchers to dominate their starts versus the Braves. The other options to start on the NLDS roster include unproven rookies Dan Castano, Braxton Garrett and Trevor Rogers.

The pitching staff in general posted a bloated 6.64 ERA versus Atlanta this season, but a closer look at that number shows 41 of the 64 earned runs came courtesy of pitchers who were not on the Wild Card roster. Subtract those pitchers, and the staff ERA drops to a far more manageable 4.00 against the Braves.

“We have to attack the strike zone,” Miami manager Don Mattingly said. “We’ve got good stuff. Don’t give them anything. Make them earn it. We have to go attack these guys.”

Leverage the Bullpen

Miami’s starters will need to go deep into games to prevent exposing the weaker portions of the team’s bullpen. The Marlins used a staggering 37 different pitchers this season, including 28 different relievers. Overall, the bullpen ERA finished at 5.50, fourth worst in the league. A closer look at that number reveals it as a flawed measure.

17 of those 28 relievers pitched less than eight innings out of the ‘pen but surrendered a whopping 65 earned runs over 59.2 innings combined. Hence, the inflated bullpen ERA. If you take the Marlins top-five relievers, you’ll see a group that posted a 2.00 ERA over 85.2 innings pitched. That would be the best mark in the league by far.

Brandon Kintzler, Yimi Garcia, Brad Boxberger, James Hoyt and Richard Bleier sport a mix of stuff and experience and should be able to save games if given the opportunity. As a group, those five are 13 for 18 in save opportunities. As a team this season, the Marlins are 31-0 when leading after six innings, so the bullpen has come through.

Mattingly will need to leverage these top-five arms to win this series. In the Wild Card round, the bullpen posted a scoreless 6.2 innings pitched in two games, allowing just two hits.

Watch Out with the Fastball

Marlins pitchers relied heavily on the fastball in their Wild Card sweep of the Chicago Cubs. Miami threw fastballs at a 75 percent clip against the Cubs, with an average speed of 95.8 mph. Chicago hitters struggled to turn on those offerings, hitting just .157 against Marlins’ fastballs.

Against the Braves, the Marlins staff may need another approach in the NLDS. Atlanta sports the best fastball-hitting lineup in the MLB these days. Braves batters posted a .311 average against fastballs in 2020, the highest such mark since the 2015 Royals hit .312. Atlanta’s slugging percentage remained a whopping .551 against fastballs.

The Reds tried to limit fastball use in the Wild Card round, throwing just 43 percent of their pitches as heat. The Marlins staff will need to locate their off-speed and secondary pitches well, and be selective with their fastballs, because Atlanta’s lineup is stocked with five regulars who hit well over .300 against the fastball.

Getting Runs Early

The Marlins offense did nothing through six innings in both Wild Card games. Thankfully, their starting pitchers kept those games in control, allowing a stirring comeback in Game 1 and a go-ahead homer in Game 2. The offense seemed to come alive late in both games.

Against the Braves, the Marlins will need more runs early in the ballgames. Atlanta gave up 24 runs over its final three games of the regular season, losing two of them, but they were dominant in their two-game sweep of the Reds in the Wild Card round. If the Marlins can chase Atlanta’s starters early, they set themselves up for success down the line in this series. With no off days, bullpen management will be key, and the Braves don’t have a solid fourth starter in their rotation.

What’s more, the Braves bullpen was one of the best in MLB in 2020. Atlanta’s bullpen posted a 3.50 ERA, which was fourth lowest in MLB and second lowest in the NL. Miami struggled to scratch runs across the Braves bullpen during their 10 matchups this season.

The Marlins will look to repeat their last outing against Atlanta’s ace Max Fried, when they connected on two home runs in the first inning. Those were the lonely two homers surrendered by Fried in 2020. Miami hitters have had some success against Fried, with a slash line of .333/.383/.593 in 60 plate appearances.

Jesus Aguilar went 15-for-40 with two blasts and eight RBIs against Atlanta during the regular season.

Make Up for Marte’s Loss

Starling Marte suffered a non-displaced fracture of his left pinkie in Game 1 of the wild-card series and sat out Game 2. He’s on the taxi squad for the NLDS, and will not make an appearance for the Marlins in this series.

Reserve outfielders Magneuris Sierra, Monte Harrison and Lewis Brinson each have excellent speed and are strong defenders but can’t hit like Marte. And that’s a problem for a club that batted .203 in the wild-card series.

For Marte’s replacements, getting on base and putting pressure on the defense will be key. The Marlins stole 53 bases in 2020, and they’ll need to manufacture runs with the feet in this NLDS series against the Braves.

 

Tuesday, Game 1: Sandy Alcantara (3-2, 3.00 ERA) at Max Fried (7-0, 2.25 ERA), 2:08, FS1

Wednesday, Game 2: Pablo Lopez (6-4, 3.61 ERA) at Ian Anderson (3-2, 1.95), 2:08, MLB Network

Thursday, Game 3: Kyle Wright (2-4, 5.21 ERA) at Sixto Sanchez (3-2, 3.46 ERA), 2:08, FS1

Marlins vs Braves NLDS Preview

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The Marlins square off versus Atlanta in the NLDS. This is the matchup no Marlins fan wanted to see because of the 29-9 loss that the Marlins suffered last month at the hands of the potent Atlanta lineup. We are quick to forget that the season series was only 6-4 in the Braves favor. There is no sense of fear in the clubhouse as they have adapted the “bottom feeders” mentality fully and convincingly. The Braves have a clear tangible edge over the Marlins, but this Marlins team has a chance, and they know it.

 

Here are 5 things that need to happen for this Marlins run to continue into the NLCS:

 

Pitcher’s duels, not home run derbies

 

I think this goes without saying, but we can and will not be able to out-hit the Braves. Atlanta has 3 perennial MVP candidates at the top of their lineup. Yes, 3. Ronald Acuna Jr, Freddie Freeman, and Marcell Ozuna are the most intimidating 1,2,3 punch in the entire league let alone the NL. The Marlins will look to do what they did in Chicago. Rinse and repeat. We will see Sandy, Sixto, Pablo, and probably Trevor Rogers. If the Marlins pitching can perform as they did in Chicago, then the possibilities are endless. Even though Atlanta swept the Reds, their bats aren’t exactly hot. They only put up 2 runs through the first 20 innings of the Wild Card Series before they broke it open late against Raisel Iglesias. The Marlins bullpen was lights out in the Wild Card series, allowing 0 runs in their body of work. If this translates along with stellar outings from the starters, this series can be stolen.

 

Starling Marte plays for Marlins

 

If the Marlins are to win, it will have to be parallel to what they did in Chicago. Great pitching and timely veteran hitting. With Starling Marte in the lineup (our best hitter/veteran) the chances that we pick up one of those important timely hits increase exponentially. Marte has been a great veteran voice even if his statistics don’t show that in a Marlin uniform. Hitting just .245, Marte has struggled to an extent at the plate. He has, however, come through in extremely clutch moments to help propel the marlins to where they are now. Marte on the field means positive things. We can win without him, but at the end of the day, we want our guy out there patrolling center, stealing bases, and clutching up when it matters the most.

 

Small ball

 

Even though the Marlins swept the Cubs, there were a lot of missed opportunities for the Fish. They failed to move runners over after getting them on early, and as a result, relied on the home run ball to bail them out. This cannot be the case in Atlanta. The Marlins were 2nd in the league in stolen bases, and they need to utilize this aspect of their game to its fullest extent if they are to steal 3 against Atlanta. Get runners on, steal bases, move the runner over, get him in. It’s a simple method that the Marlins struggled to apply at certain points this year. They get guys on consistently and steal bases consistently but struggle with the latter steps mentioned. By controlling games with their speed, the Marlins can maintain tempo and put pressure on the Braves to respond.

Sandy needs to be the ace

 

Sandy Alcantara has set the tone recently with his amazing starts to clinch a playoff spot in New York and in game 1 against the Cubs. He allowed only 3 runs in 13+ innings of work against two potent lineups (the Yankees more than the Cubs but still). If he can do this again, he will set the tone for Sixto, Pablo, and even Trevor. Sandy needs to go out and dominate like the ace that he is. Another 7 innings of the 1-run ball would do the trick. It is all about showing the Braves we are no joke. We are not losing 29-9 again. We are not into losing, period. Unlike the Braves, we don’t lose in the playoffs. Sandy can set the tone to keep this fact true.

 

Keep the Marlins mentality

 

Even if the Marlins go down 2-0 to the Braves (or at any point for that matter), they need to play the same way. They are “bottom feeders” and they need to continue to embrace it. It allows them to play with no pressure and just play a kids’ game. It allows the veterans to stay engaged, it shows the young guys the culture they are invested in. This team has beat all the odds to get here, what’s to say they don’t beat them again. They are playing with house money.

 

The Marlins have defied reality to find themselves here with a chance to compete for an NLCS berth, and there is nothing that is stopping them. They have no pressure. They are bottom feeders, and they will continue to play like it.

The Marlins: A Cinderella Story

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The Miami Marlins are the greatest story that the national media doesn’t give attention to. For those of us that forgot, the Marlins were 57-105 last season. Now they are in the NLDS after sweeping the Cubs in the Wild Card Series. Yes, this Cubs team isn’t the same team that won in 2016, but they still have the firepower. The “bottom-feeder” Miami Marlins stared Kyle Hendricks and Yu Darvish in the face and beat them. They stared the Yankees in the face and beat them. They stared COVID-19 in the face and beat it. Now we look ahead to an NLDS matchup versus the Braves. 

 

To see if the Marlins can continue their streak, we have to understand how we got here:

 

Trades

 

The Marlins were beaten up by the media for their trading of Marcell Ozuna, Christian Yelich, Giancarlo Stanton, and JT Realmuto. Let’s look at where those guys are. Ozuna will play for the Braves versus us in the NLDS, Christian Yelich and his Brewers have been eliminated, Giancarlo Stanton is in the ALDS with the Yankees, and JT Realmuto and the Phillies were eliminated from postseason contention. On paper, those trades felt horrendous, but they have proven to be some of the more fruitful trades in Marlin’s history. You name a guy on this team, and he’s probably from one of those trades. Sandy Alcantara, Sixto Sanchez, Lewis Brinson, and Jorge Alfaro to name a few. What a story. This experience in the playoffs alone will quicken the learning curve for these players, solidifying a winning culture that Ozuna, Yelich, Stanton, and Realmuto never understood.

 

Marlins Pitching

 

The Marlins had multiple experiences of being blown out this year. Past those few and far games (29-9 in Atlanta, 15-0 vs Washington), the Marlins pitching has been stupendous. Sandy, Sixto, and Pablo have all propelled this team forward. We didn’t get to see Pablo start this series (luckily), but Sandy and Sixto balled out. Sandy allowed only 1 run over 6 ⅔ and Sixto threw 5 shutout winnings with the help of some stellar defense. In 2 games versus an accomplished Cubs team, the Fish allowed a combined 1 run. 1 run?! Call me crazy but that’s Championship material right there.

 

Can we do it?

 

The Braves have given us issues. That’s true, but we have beaten them before. If the pitching is as strong as it was this past series, anything is possible. We will most likely see Pablo Lopez in game 1 (ironic considering he started that dreaded 29-9 game). Then, pending rest, we will see Sandy and Sixto. Those 3 guys can steal games. And versus a Braves team that has struggled in the playoffs before, why not us? This team plays without pressure. They are not supposed to be here.

 

But they are. Good luck to Atlanta, but I have a strange feeling the “bottom feeders” in Miami will ball out.