Florida Marlins @ Chicago Cubs – Series Preview

The Cubs come limping home after a fairly disastrous road trip. The Cubs went to St. Louis and dropped two of three, then headed to Arizona where they promptly dropped two of three as well. The Cubs (10-10) are hoping the Friendly Confines can bring out the best in them and they will need it against the very talented Florida Marlins (13-8).

The Cubs have gotten relatively healthy the past few days as first baseman Derrek Lee, primary set up man Carlos Marmol, and right fielder Milton Bradley have all returned to action. However, the status of third baseman Aramis Ramirez is still in question. Ramirez will have another workout prior game 1 on Thursday to test out his injured calf. Everything I’m hearing at this point suggests he’ll head to the 15 day Disabled List. The Cubs will need all hands on deck as they have a challenge this weekend against Florida.

The Marlins feature perhaps the best young player in baseball today, shortstop Hanley Ramirez. Last season Ramirez batted .301 with 33 YAK EMs, 35 steals, and a .940 OPS. So far this year, he’s batting .289 with 2 YAK EMs and 12 RBIs. However, the offensive star so far for the Marlins this season has been Jorge Cantu. So far this year, Cantu is batting a cool .362 with 6 YAK EMs, 18 RBIs, and .1189 OPS.

The Marlins as a team are 14th in batting average and 12th in OPS. Despite the early season numbers, the Marlins have a lineup full of home run hitters. With players such as Dan Uggla, Jeremy Hermida, and Cody Ross, to go along with Ramirez and Cantu, the Marlins have the capability to produce a YAK EM with each batter.

Marlins lineup
1. Emilio Bonifacio 3B
2. John Baker C
3. Hanley Ramirez SS
4. Jorge Cantu 1B
5. Dan Uggla 2B
6. Jeremy Hermida LF
7. Cody Ross RF
8. Cameron Maybin CF

The strength of the Marlins is their starting pitching. The Marlins’ staff features Josh Johnson, 2-0 with a 2.60 ERA and one complete game, and Chris Volstad, 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA. Even though other starters Ricky Nolasco, Annibal Sanchez, and Andrew Miller (currently on 15 day DL) do not have as good numbers, every one of the Marlins pitchers features very good stuff and has the ability to the throw a gem each time out. Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox has said publicly he believes the Marlins have the best starting rotation is the National League. Cox could be proven correct by year’s end.

The Marlins bullpen is shaky. Their closer is Matt Lindstrom, 8.31 ERA and 5-7 save opportunities. Despite having electric stuff, Lindstrom can be very wild and is one of those closers that will always keep you in the game (much like Cubs closer Kevin Gregg). The rest of the Marlins pen is okay ERA wise, but they walk batters. The plan against the Marlins is to not give up the long ball and keep the get into their bullpen. If the Cubs are able to do that, they should be capable of taking this series. Onto the pitching matchups:

Game 1 – 8:05 pm EST, WCIU

Sean Marshall (0-1 4.50 ERA) vs. Chris Volstad (2-0 2.70 ERA)

Marshall pitched well in his last start giving up 3 runs over 6 innings against the Cardinals, but took the loss. Marshall is 1-3 with a 4.38 ERA in his career against the Marlins.

Volstad got a no decision in his last outing against the Phillies giving up 3 runs over 7 innings. Last year, Volstad gave up 4 runs total in his two starts against the North Siders.

Game 2 – 2:20 pm EST, CSN

Rich Harden (2-1 3.86 ERA) vs. Graham Taylor (0-1 9.82 ERA) 

Harden has been pretty spectacular so far this season. In his last start against St. Louis, Harden went 6 innings, gave up two runs and struck out 9. So far this season, Harden has struck out 35 in only 21 innings. The Cubs will be just fine if he keeps this going.

Taylor, called up in place of the injured Andrew Miller, got rocked in his last start against the Philies. He lasted only 3 2/3 innings whilst giving up 4 runs and walking 6. He’ll definitely need to improve on that to keep a spot in the rotation.

Game 3 – 1:05 pm EST, CSN

Ted Lilly (2-2 3.80 ERA) vs. Annibal Sanchez (1-2 4.13 ERA)

The Bulldog was not good in his last start against the Diamondbacks. Lilly gave up 5 runs in only 5 innings of work. He displayed an unusual lack of command and will need to shore it up against the home run hitters of the Marlins.

Sanchez got shelled pretty good in his last start against the New York Mets giving up 6 runs over 6 innings. Despite his numbers, Sanchez has very good stuff and can definitely shut down a team if he is on his game.

Game 4 – 2:20 pm EST, WGN

Carlos Zambrano (2-1 4.64 ERA) vs. Ricky Nolasco (1-2  6.92 ERA)

Big Z did it all in his last start giving up 3 runs over 7 innings. Zambrano also went 3-4 the plate with his first YAK EM of the year. This game will also feature the retiring of the number 31 for the Cubs, in honor of Ferguson Jenkins and Greg Maddux, both of whom wore that number during their time in Chicago.

Nolasco, like the other Marlins starters, did not pitch well his last time out. Against the Mets, Nolasco gave up 4 runs over 5 innings. Nolasco is a former Cubs top prospect acquired by the Marlins in the Juan Pierre trade of 2006.