Mariners head to Miami looking to get back on track against the Marlins
After a rough finish to the Cleveland series, the Mariners head to Miami looking to get back on track against one of the worst teams in baseball, the Marlins
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Although the series against the Guardians got off to a great start, the finish was anything but as the Mariners ended up losing the final two games of the series, falling short against a team that simply looked better than the Mariners. That definitely shouldn't be the case in their upcoming series, as the Mariners are set to play a three game series against the 25-49 Marlins, holders of the second-worst record in all of baseball.
It's the start of a 6-game Florida trip for the Mariners, as they will be heading to Tampa Bay after they finish with Miami. Let's just hope that they fare better in Miami than they did in Cleveland.
The Mariners head to Miami for a very winnable series
The Mariners will be throwing Kirby-Gilbert-Miller against them, while they are going to be seeing Trevor Rogers, Jesus Luzardo, and Braxton Garrett. We know all about the Mariners pitchers, so let's take a look at the ones that the Marlins will be throwing to see what the M's hitters will be up against.
Trevor Rogers has had a bit of a walk problem as of late, but had it clicking in his last outing. After walking 12 hitters through 20 innings over four outings, his most recent saw him not issue any free passes. He isn't known as a strikeout guy, so this could be the perfect type of pitcher for the Mariners to face to start the series. Work counts, which they are actually the best team in baseball at doing, and get him into trouble early and often.
Jesus Lazardo will be continuing to audition to get out of Miami, as he is one of the bigger name SP's that are going to be moved at the deadline. He had an awful outing against the Rays a few starts ago, but in four of his last five starts he has posted a 2.74 ERA. However, that Rays start saw him get mashed for nine earned runs. If he isn't on top of his game, the Mariners will have a great chance here as well.
Braxton Garrett might be the most confusing pitcher of the trio. He threw a complete game shutout against the Diamondbacks, had a nice start with one run through five innings, then gave up 11 through two starts in 7.2 innings, and followed it up with one run against the Cardinals in six innings. It's either going to be a five runs in four innings game or one run in six innings. Let's hope for the former.
The Marlins actually have a decent bullpen, posting a 4.15 ERA which is 19th in the league. This won't be an Angels or Rangers matchup where they have a bottom five bullpen, but it's still up-and-down enough for the Mariners to try and pull off their regular late inning magic... even though I hope they don't need it.
A lot of people are going to have their eyes on Jazz Chisholm Jr, who many a Mariners' fan seems to want on the team to bring a nice power/speed/swag element to the Mariners to strengthen not just their lineup, but their defense as well. He can play second and center and would likely play a corner spot or second if the Mariners ended up trading for him.
With the Marlins having a -115 run differential and 35 fewer runs scored than the Mariners, it really does seem like a great opportunity for the Mariners to get a sweep. Is it going to be a failure if they don't? Possibly. But getting the series win is a must have, or else it's a failure.