Four against the fish: Phillies vs. Marlins series preview

It was a rough road trip for the Phillies. They went just 2-5 in Colorado and New York, and looked listless in many of the losses. But things may be looking up. The team showed signs of life in the finale against the Mets, and with four games at home against the last place Marlins, they should have a chance to build some momentum.

Miami Marlins

Record: 7-17, fifth place in National League East

The last time they met

The Phillies and Marlins faced off in Miami two weeks ago, and although the finale took a long time (14 innings), the Phillies emerged with a series win.

And since then

The Marlins have gone 3-5, which considering the talent level on their roster isn’t bad at all. Along the way they took two out of three from the Nationals, which is helpful for the Phillies.

The Grandy Man can’t

I still have no idea what Curtis Granderson is doing on this team. Surely he could find better ways to spend the twilight of his career than wasting away on a dreadful team. One thing he hasn’t been doing is hit very well. Over the past two weeks, he’s batting .125.

Is that the worst on the team?

Sadly, no. During that time, Rosell Herrera is checking in with a robust .100 batting average, which is slightly better than the .037 mark of Lewis Brinson.

Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images

Do they have any good hitters?

Former Phillies Jorge Alfaro is having a strong offensive season, and Brian Anderson has been doing well lately. But overall, there aren’t too many threats in the Miami lineup.

How about the pitching?

The Marlins starting rotation has performed respectably. The scheduled starters for the series are Caleb Smith, Jose Urena, Trevor Richards, and Pablo Lopez, and there is at least some level of optimism surrounding each of them.

Smith has pitched well all season, and earned a win against the Phillies two weeks ago. Urena didn’t get off to a great start, but he limited the Phillies to one run in seven innings, and followed that with a strong start against the Nationals. Trevor Richards has been striking out a lot of batters, and Lopez has only allowed two earned runs across his last two starts.

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images

Hail Cesar...for now

After his recent fielding and base running gaffes, many Phillies fans are ready to get rid of Cesar Hernandez. However, it would behoove the Phillies to wait until after this weekend. Hernandez has a career on base percentage of .368 against the Marlins, and his six home runs are the most he’s hit against any opponent.

Trivia

Who was the first Marlin to ever hit a home run against the Phillies?

Marlin or Senator?

If anyone out there is really up on both United States politics and the Miami Marlins, this question should be easy. For the vast majority of the population, this question is near impossible.

Prediction

The Phillies will win three out of four and we’ll all feel much better about how the season is going.