Post by Commissioner Erick on Oct 4, 2019 7:04:00 GMT -5
Miami Marlins (15-10) @ Washington Nationals (12-14)
MIA: Archie Bradley (4-0, 2.70)
WAS: Drew Pomeranz (1-2, 4.74)
The Miami Marlins continue to test if they're for real, with a game tonight against the defending champions. Miami has faced a tough NL-East heavy slate to begin the season, and after this series, will spent virtually the entire rest of the first half playing games outside their division. Washington is still pitching and slugging, but their defense and bullpen have them in last place in a brutal division. The top-end talent is still there, but Washington has to begin plugging their holes if they expect to win the NL East.
Players to Watch
Marlins
RP—Dario Alvarez:
Until this past season, the 33-year-old Alvarez had spent only one stretch of time as a big league pitcher, doing most of his work in Triple-A. Miami traded for him, added him to their opening day roster, and all he's done is strike out 25 batters without a walk in 15.1 innings. Righties have touched him up a little bit, but lefties are hitting 5-33 with 18 strikeouts. Considering most of Washington's lineup is left-handed, Alvarez can announce his presence to the league on National TV.
CF—Jeren Kendall:
A speed demon on the bases, and one of the game's most graceful fielders, Kendall is beginning to thrive under the tutelage of Hitting Coach Kevin Jordan. His batting average is a healthy .270, which is fueling the best offensive start he's had. He still works deep counts and strikes out a ton, making a matchup with lefty Drew Pomeranz a tough one for Kendall. He'll also have to deal with a high-strikeout, high-walk Nationals bullpen. If he can't break through with the bat, Kendall has the second best zone-rating in the league, has already completed two double plays in the field, and leads the league in stolen bases.
RP—Aaron Loup:
Similar to Alvarez, Loup appeared in a major league game in 2017, and did not see a major league appearance until this year. From 2018 until this year, Loup spent the entirety of his career working for Nashville, in the Oakland system. Ben Vincent has instructed his team to use him as a lefty-specialist, and the returns are promising. He has a 3.00 ERA, has nine whiffs in 6 frames, and has held lefties to a .176 average. Righties are 3-6 off him, so he really should be kept from facing them as much as possible, but with a heavily-tilted Nationals offense, Loup should be able to succeed against the bottom of their order.
Nationals
RP—Austin Voth:
The Nationals have the worst bullpen in the league, with a lot of players underperforming. Voth went from a multi-inning swing man last year, to a middle-reliever this season, and the results aren't promising. This past week, he allowed two walks, a double, and a man to reach on error on Monday, retiring nobody. He pitched a perfect frame Tuesday, but allowed a home run to Nick Senzel on Thursday. Thursday he appeared in a tie game in the ninth, and allowed a double to Mookie Betts, a single to Senzel, and a walk-off hit to Amed Rosario. He faced 17 batters last week, and struck out just one. That's not a good enough number to succeed, especially with Washington fielding the worst defense in the league.
C—Ryan January:
Pushed into the starting lineup with Mike Zunino not being retained, January is having a similar year to last year. He's traded a little bit of power for walks, he has the same average, he's just doing it with a lot more playing time. He leads baseball in passed balls, so the defense isn't there, but his backup doesn't appear cut for prime time. Washington is doing themselves a disservice by having January as a starter, but their offense has been so good that it doesn't matter. This is especially true against righties, who January has a 1.030 OPS against.
SP—Drew Pomeranz:
Pomeranz had a very nice career with San Francisco and made five effective starts with Colorado before signing in Washington on the cheap. Pomeranz doesn't have the stuff of his younger days, but he can snap off a good curveball and still has a respectable strikeout rate. He gave up a pair of home runs, one to Donny Sands, one to Isael Soto, in a previous start against Miami this year. Pomeranz also doesn't have platoon splits over his career, so Miami's lefties may be able to do some damage to him, as Soto did earlier.
TRIVIA: Which Center Fielder has the highest Zone Rating in PBA history
MIA: Archie Bradley (4-0, 2.70)
WAS: Drew Pomeranz (1-2, 4.74)
The Miami Marlins continue to test if they're for real, with a game tonight against the defending champions. Miami has faced a tough NL-East heavy slate to begin the season, and after this series, will spent virtually the entire rest of the first half playing games outside their division. Washington is still pitching and slugging, but their defense and bullpen have them in last place in a brutal division. The top-end talent is still there, but Washington has to begin plugging their holes if they expect to win the NL East.
Players to Watch
Marlins
RP—Dario Alvarez:
Until this past season, the 33-year-old Alvarez had spent only one stretch of time as a big league pitcher, doing most of his work in Triple-A. Miami traded for him, added him to their opening day roster, and all he's done is strike out 25 batters without a walk in 15.1 innings. Righties have touched him up a little bit, but lefties are hitting 5-33 with 18 strikeouts. Considering most of Washington's lineup is left-handed, Alvarez can announce his presence to the league on National TV.
CF—Jeren Kendall:
A speed demon on the bases, and one of the game's most graceful fielders, Kendall is beginning to thrive under the tutelage of Hitting Coach Kevin Jordan. His batting average is a healthy .270, which is fueling the best offensive start he's had. He still works deep counts and strikes out a ton, making a matchup with lefty Drew Pomeranz a tough one for Kendall. He'll also have to deal with a high-strikeout, high-walk Nationals bullpen. If he can't break through with the bat, Kendall has the second best zone-rating in the league, has already completed two double plays in the field, and leads the league in stolen bases.
RP—Aaron Loup:
Similar to Alvarez, Loup appeared in a major league game in 2017, and did not see a major league appearance until this year. From 2018 until this year, Loup spent the entirety of his career working for Nashville, in the Oakland system. Ben Vincent has instructed his team to use him as a lefty-specialist, and the returns are promising. He has a 3.00 ERA, has nine whiffs in 6 frames, and has held lefties to a .176 average. Righties are 3-6 off him, so he really should be kept from facing them as much as possible, but with a heavily-tilted Nationals offense, Loup should be able to succeed against the bottom of their order.
Nationals
RP—Austin Voth:
The Nationals have the worst bullpen in the league, with a lot of players underperforming. Voth went from a multi-inning swing man last year, to a middle-reliever this season, and the results aren't promising. This past week, he allowed two walks, a double, and a man to reach on error on Monday, retiring nobody. He pitched a perfect frame Tuesday, but allowed a home run to Nick Senzel on Thursday. Thursday he appeared in a tie game in the ninth, and allowed a double to Mookie Betts, a single to Senzel, and a walk-off hit to Amed Rosario. He faced 17 batters last week, and struck out just one. That's not a good enough number to succeed, especially with Washington fielding the worst defense in the league.
C—Ryan January:
Pushed into the starting lineup with Mike Zunino not being retained, January is having a similar year to last year. He's traded a little bit of power for walks, he has the same average, he's just doing it with a lot more playing time. He leads baseball in passed balls, so the defense isn't there, but his backup doesn't appear cut for prime time. Washington is doing themselves a disservice by having January as a starter, but their offense has been so good that it doesn't matter. This is especially true against righties, who January has a 1.030 OPS against.
SP—Drew Pomeranz:
Pomeranz had a very nice career with San Francisco and made five effective starts with Colorado before signing in Washington on the cheap. Pomeranz doesn't have the stuff of his younger days, but he can snap off a good curveball and still has a respectable strikeout rate. He gave up a pair of home runs, one to Donny Sands, one to Isael Soto, in a previous start against Miami this year. Pomeranz also doesn't have platoon splits over his career, so Miami's lefties may be able to do some damage to him, as Soto did earlier.
TRIVIA: Which Center Fielder has the highest Zone Rating in PBA history
