The St. Louis Cardinals will wrap up a long homestand as they play host to the Miami Marlins this weekend. It will kickoff Friday night with a compelling pitching matchup for two teams who have a lot at stake as we get closer to the mid-season mark.
Let’s start with the pitching matchups. According to MLB.com, here is how the Cardinals pitching plans are lined up for the weekend series. Note that only Friday starters have been announced after the Thursday rainout for the Cardinals which bumped the rotation back apparently.
Friday night, June 26 – Michael McGreevy (3-6, 3.35 ERA, 53 SO) vs Max Meyer (8-0, 2.80 ERA, 102 SO)
Saturday night, June 27 – Dustin May (5-6, 4.30 ERA, 77 SO) vs TBD
Sunday, June 28 – Andre Pallante (9-4, 3.59 ERA, 64 SO) vs TBD
By far the most interesting pitching matchup is Friday night for several reasons. First, it’s the only night as of this writing that we know who the Marlins starter will be as they haven’t released their Saturday and Sunday plans yet, but Max Meyer is off to an epic start to the season. Just since the start of June, Meyer has posted a 2.31 ERA with 28 strikeouts and 9 walks over 4 starts. Max has just been reactivated by the Marlins from the bereavement list. Meyer vs McGreevy should be must-see TV Friday night in St. Louis. Friday night was supposed to have Dustin May on the mound for St. Louis, but the rotation got bumped back a night thanks to Thursday’s rainout.
I haven’t seen it officially announced by the Marlins yet, but I believe they’ll send Ryan Gusto (0-2, 6.00 ERA) to the mound Saturday night and Tyler Phillips (1-2, 3.09 ERA) Sunday afternoon. In Gusto’s last 3 games, he’s averaging just over 4 innings pitched allowing 0 runs vs the Diamondbacks on June 10, 5 runs against the Phillies on June 15 and 1 run against the Giants on June 21. Tyler Phillips has had a rollercoaster June so far. He tossed 5 innings of 2-hit ball against the Diamondbacks on June 11, then was rocked for 8 earned runs over 4 innings against the Phillies on June 16 before a quality 6-inning start vs the Rangers on June 22 allowing just 2 earned runs.
Miami Marlins players to watch
Infielder Xavier Edwards – Leadoff man with a .293 average, 6 home runs and an OPS of .799
Infielder Otto Lopez – Currently batting .340 with 6 home runs and an OPS of .857
Catcher Liam Hicks – Leads Marlins with 13 home runs with a respectable .278 batting average with 53 RBI’s
Unless Miami mixes up the rotation, the St. Louis Cardinals will not be facing Sandy Alcantara this weekend. Over his last 7 starts, Sandy is 5-2 with a 4.66 ERA. His last start was Tuesday, June 23, a game he won against the Texas Rangers.
Overall, the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins are in very similar situations, but currently headed in opposite directions. Both teams are 7 games out in their respective divisions. Miami is trying to chase down the Braves and Phillies while the Cardinals are drifting further away from the Brewers. The Marlins have won 5 of their last 7 games while the Cardinals have lost 5 of their last 7.
