Series Preview: Phillies at Marlins, April 14 – 17

Coming off of a tough series against the Mets, the Phillies will travel to Miami to take on the Marlins.

The Marlins have had a rough start to the season. They have just one win over their first five games. The Phillies hope to use the Marlins’ rough start to their advantage.

The Marlins made a few improvements in the offseason, but not as drastic as the Phillies changes. They picked up powerful lefty Jorge Soler, right fielder Avisail Garcia, and infielder Joey Wendle. Jacob Stallings is also the new primary catcher for the Marlins.

Franchise struggles in Miami

As many of us know, the Phillies have struggled against the Marlins. The Phightins can never seem to get their bats going when they visit Miami. In 2021, the Phillies were 9-10 against the 67-95 Marlins. Considering that the Phillies lost the season series against a team below .500, this could be worrisome heading into 2022 knowing how often these two teams meet. Although, new sluggers Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber have excellent career numbers against the Marlins. Against Miami, Castellanos is a career .351 hitter, and Schwarber is a career .339 hitter.

Kyle Gibson hopes to build off of a good start to the season

Kyle Gibson got the start for game two of the series during Opening Weekend, and he did not disappoint. He threw seven scoreless innings and struck out ten Athletics. Gibson, who is now coming off of the best season of his career and now a dominate performance last weekend, will look to continue his success in Miami.

The key for Gibson in this series is that he will have to make sure that he keeps his cutter away from the barrels of the Marlins lefties. He will have to use that pitch both high and low, but he will also have to make sure he doesn’t do this in a noticeable pattern.

Gibson will make the start for the Phillies in game one of this series.

Can the MVP heat up?

Bryce Harper received his MVP plaque on Sunday, but has not been playing to the caliber that earned him that award. After coming off a season with an OPS over 1.000 and a Spring Training with eight home runs, Harper is off to a very slow start in the regular season. He has just one home run thus far, and his batting average is well below the Mendoza line.

Right now, no one is worried. Harper got off to a similar start in 2019, and he eventually rebounded. This series will give the fans a lot of insight into when the MV3 will return to his MVP form.

Pitching matchups

Game 1: Kyle Gibson (RHP, 1-0, 7 innings, 0 ER) vs. Sandy Alcantara (RHP, 0-0, 5 innings, 2 ER)

Game 2: Zach Eflin (RHP, 0-0, 4 innings, 0 ER) vs. Pablo Lopez (RHP, 0-0, 5 innings, 1 ER)

Game 3: Ranger Suarez (LHP, 0-0, 2.2 innings, 3 ER) vs. Trevor Rodgers (LHP, 0-1, 5 innings, 2 ER)

Game 4: Zack Wheeler (RHP, 0-1, 4.2 innings, 1 ER) vs. Elieser Hernandez (RHP, 0-1, 4.2 innings, 4 ER)

The numbers

• Run Differential:
• Phillies: -1
• Marlins: -6

• Runs Scored Per Game:
• Phillies: 4.17
• Marlins: 2.8

• Runs Allowed Per Game:
• Phillies: 4.33
• Marlins: 4

Game times and broadcasts

• Thursday, April 14, at 6:40pm ET on NBC Sports Philadelphia, WTTM 1680, 94.1 WIP
• Friday, April 15, at 6:40pm ET on NBC Sports Philadelphia, WTTM 1680, 94.1 WIP
• Saturday, April 16, at 6:10pm ET on NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus, WTTM 1680, 94.1 WIP
• Sunday, April 17, at 1:40pm ET on NBC Sports Philadelphia, WTTM 1680, 94.1 WIP

Game coverage will be available on the official Twitter page of Philly Sports Reports.