Miami has a well-needed day off after securing the team’s second series win since the All-Star break. They have won two in a row, are third in the league in team batting average (.262), fourth in hits, second in strikeouts, and as of today, sit an uncomfortable half game ahead of the Reds and Cubs for the third and final NL Wild Card Spot. The Marlins are tied with the Phillies for the most ninth inning comeback wins with seven, tied for seventh for the most comeback wins with 30, and 38-6 when they score five or more runs this year.
The team is in position to contend for the playoffs, but have approached “the gauntlet” portion of their schedule. The Marlins are currently 24-33 against teams with better than a .500 record and their next three opponents are highly respectable. Miami starts it off with a six-game home stand inviting the Yankees and Astros to town, then head across country to Los Angeles for a battle with the Dodgers.
The Marlins must come out of this nine-game stretch at minimum 5-4 to stay alive in the playoff race; they cannot afford to lose too many games because of the distance between the teams fighting for the last Wild Card spot.
All these teams they are playing are also playing for something as well. The Yankees are five games back from the last AL Wild Card spot, the Astros are fighting with the Rangers for the AL West crown, and the Dodgers have been one of the hottest teams in baseball since the All-Star break and find themselves five games back from the Braves for the top record in the NL.
The Marlins will need run support as all three teams average more runs per game and are top 10 in home runs per game. These are the stretches that can make or break your season. Miami is at a 23% probability to make the playoffs, a big dip from the 71% they were given before the break.
A lot of analysts, peers, and fans across the MLB have written this team off due to the recent slump and strength of schedule coming up, but with 46 games left, there’s still a lot of baseball to be played. They still have a chance to get back into the fight, but they must show they can beat the best teams when it matters if they want to be contenders in October.
They made the moves at the trade deadline ostensibly with the goal of contending now, to ensure they were going to have power to generate runs (which is what Bell and Burger were brought in for) and more support for their lacking bullpen (which is what Lopez, Weathers, and Robertson bring).
Miami is set up for their run. They have found many ways to win this season, and they will have to continue doing so. It does not matter how they do it, they just have to win.
Comments