Giants-Marlins Series Preview: Swinging with the fishes

It’s actually onerous to write down a preview about the Miami Marlins after the San Francisco Giants took two out of three from the Dodgers. That sequence was the final RETVRN to custom in that the Giants overcame their longstanding Giantsness to truly dominate the Dodgers for 18 innings of the sequence. It’s a staggering embarrassment for the beforehand good if not impervious Dodgers, and it is an early feather in the cap of Tony Vitello. But now he and these assured Giants now host the Marlins, they usually have confirmed to be a thorn in the Giants’ facet so long as they’ve existed.

The Giants have not gained the season sequence since 2022, and final season, their three-game sweep in San Francisco prompted headlines on right here like “Not good enough!” and “So many opportunities, so little made of them” and “Donate in by friendly fire.” That sequence additionally noticed the Marlins register 4 hits by pitches in the first two video games of the sequence, prompting retaliation in the finale (Hayden Birdsong plunked Otto Lopez). Previously, there was the Marlins Death Fogwhich I assume — given final 12 months’s sheninghans — stays related right here.

The Marlins constructed their modest 12-13 report atop a really delicate schedule to open the season, internet hosting the Rockies and the White Sox (5-1). They’re simply 2-7 on the street to date, too. But, they have a center of the pack lineup (102 wRC+) and center of the pack pitching workers (+2.7 fWAR 3.59 xERA) on the season and solely the lineup has actually fallen down over the final two weeks (96 wRC+).

In truth, their final two weeks is an efficient comparability level with the Giants, when most individuals would agree that the crew has began taking part in higher. The Marlins’ crew batting common since April ninth ​​is .253, tenth in MLB. Their crew OBP has been .330 they usually’re slugging .364. They have a 9.4 BB% and 21.5 Ok%. They’ve scored simply 53 runs (twenty fourth in MLB). Meanwhile, the Giants have a superior crew batting common (.254 — ninth in MLB) however amongst the dregs of the sport all over the place else: .287 OBP (twenty eighth, forward of solely the Phillies & Mets), .366 slugging (twenty fourth), 40 runs scored (twenty ninth, forward of solely the Mets). And their 4.1 BB% (thirtieth) and 20.7 Ok% (twentieth) and .112 ISO (twenty sixth) present simply how little they produce in a fee sense. Their .292 wOBA (twenty eighth) is a key issue of their 84 wRC+ (twenty fifth).

The Giants may be a greater crew on paper, however via the first month of the season, the Marlins have been higher. Leading the means are three acquisitions over the previous few years: shortstop Xavier Edwards was acquired by Marlins exec Peter Bendix after he left the Rays and is off to an ideal begin (.869 OPS). Otto Lopez, whom the Giants discarded at the finish of Spring Training 2024 and the Marlins then grabbed, has a 3:1 strikeouts to stroll fee however a .877 OPS to begin out (101 PA). And then there’s 2024 Rule 5 acquisition Liam Hicks, a left-handed designated hitter who had a sub-.700 OPS final season however is hitting .321/.368/.513 with 4 homers and 21 RBI to begin this season (87 PA).

Their pitching workers stays a piece in progress however with two anchors: former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara, who seems to be rounding again into kind simply in time for this 12 months’s commerce deadline (2.80 ERA plus a shutout beneath his belt already); but additionally, 23 12 months outdated Eury Perez who acquired some Rookie of the Year votes again in 2023 after hanging out 108 in 91.1 IP.

Anyway, this figures to be a pesky sequence, however one the Giants ought to be aggressive in, except that Dodgers sequence was a whole mirage. The Giants have had the fifth-best crew ERA over the previous two weeks (3.48) they usually’re taking part in a crew that struggles on the street. The Marlins do have a raft of pesky gamers they will deploy to bother us this sequence — Connor Norby, Esteury Ruiz, Owen Caissie, Kyle Stowers (extra on him in a second) — however so do the Giants — Christian Koss, Jerar Encarnacion, Drew Gilbert — so, hopefully, this does not seem like Miami’s final go to to Oracle Park.

And simply to verify we’re all somewhat tense or aggravated, the General Manager of the Marlins working beneath Peter Bendix is ​​Gabe Kapler and the Marlins DFA’d Austin Slater earlier than they left Miami for San Francisco.

Who: San Francisco Giants (11-14) vs. Miami Marlins (12-13)
Where: Oracle Park | San Francisco, California
When: Friday at 7:15pm PT, Saturday at 1:05pm PT, Sunday at 1:05pm PT
National broadcasts: None.

Projected starters
Friday: Sandy Alcantara (RHP 2-2, 3.06 ERA) vs. Adrian Houser (RHP 0-2, 5.40 ERA)
Saturday: Eury Perez (RHP 2-1, 4.15 ERA) vs. Robbie Ray (LHP 2-3, 2.86 ERA)
Sunday: Max Meyer (1-0 RHP, 3.96 ERA) vs. Landen Roupp (RHP 4-1, 2.28 ERA)

Kyle Stowers: He was the Marlins’ greatest hitter final season (25 HR, .912 OPS in 457 PA) however missed the begin of this season as a result of a hamstring pressure. He’s 3-for-10 since being activated off the IL, serving to the Marlins win two out of the three video games during which he is performed. The former Oriole was acquired by the Marlins alongside with Connor Norby at the 2024 deadline for LHP Trevor Rogers, who’s now the obvious #1 starter of Baltimore’s workers. He’s bought 2 profession homers at Oracle Park in 6 video games (23 PA) to go with a .316/.435/.737 line.

Pete Fairbanks: The Marlins did not commerce him final 12 months after which declined their choice after the season which left individuals scratching their heads as to what was happening with a wonderfully serviceable nearer (75 saves throughout the three prior seasons). The apparent reply needed to be a well being situation. The Marlins signed him to a 1-year $13 million deal and, to date, they have been handled to a 7.27 ERA (7 ER in 8.2 IP). But! But… he is recorded 5 saves in 6 tries, and has only one blown save (a 6-5 loss in Atlanta). His ERA is excused by a 2.34 FIP but additionally — and most significantly — 3 of the 7 earned runs he is been charged with got here as an opener towards the Yankees again on April fifth. So, is he the lights out nearer they’re paying for? That’s what Giants followers will discover out quickly sufficient.

Owen Caissie: In the offseason, the Cubs traded their #3 prospect at the finish of 2025 (per MLB Pipeline) in an effort to get their fingers on starter Edward Cabrera, who’d beforehand given the Giants some issues (3-0, 1.91 ERA!). He bought into 12 video games final 12 months with Chicago and this 12 months the Marlins slotted him in as their beginning proper fielder, and why not? He had a triumphant WBC for Team Canada (7/17 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB). But the outcomes right here in the 2026 common season have been suboptimal: 2 homers, 14 RBI in 23 video games (78 PA), positive, however 34 strikeouts to three walks. He’s additionally 5-for-his-last-37, too, with 1 stroll and 21 strikeouts! It can be an actual disgrace if this was the weekend he discovered his swing.

Rafael Devers: You know what? You haven’t got to observe him. He’s been horrible. Unwatchable. Is he washed? Cooked? Finite? Maybe. It’s baseball, in spite of everything. Sometimes, gamers get up one morning they usually’re now not capable of play the sport. Devers’ personal trademark of not with the ability to play the sport is his means to swing via pitches in the strike zone. On protection, he is been bodily capable of keep round the bag however he is hardly the sturdy defender wanted there. In equity, he is 7-for-26 going again to the begin of the Nats sequence (6 video games), however a .269 common with simply 2 further base hits (doubles) and nil walks to go with 10 strikeouts is just not the form of manufacturing from Devers one would possibly name “fine.” He’s slugging .320 on the season. He’s off to his worst begin ever.

Erik Miller: Ryan Walker’s triumphant return of kinds to the nearer function was actually heartening to see, however on this sequence, Miami can be flashing some harmful lefties and it will be as much as the Giants’ most harmful lefty to corral them.

Christian Koss: He final bought right into a sport on April twelfth. Play him or choice him!

The Marlins have flummoxed many a Giants supervisor earlier than. Will Vitello be completely different?

The Giants will win the sequence.