Conversations With the Enemy: Miami Marlins

The Dodgers continue their long ten-game road trip with a visit to sunny Miami over the weekend. The Dodgers will battle the always dangerous Giancarlo Stanton and former Dodger Dee Gordon for a three-game set starting on Friday afternoon at Marlins Park. The Dodgers have struggled on the road this season, and they are 14-20 when away from the comfy confines of Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers won two of three games against the Marlins back in May when the Fish visited Los Angeles. This time the Dodgers will have to try to silence the Marlins statue in center field behind Brett Anderson, Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke.

We had the opportunity to chat with the Senior Editor of Fansided’s Marlins site Marlin Maniac, Ehsan Kassim, about the upcoming series. You can also visit Marlin Maniac to read my answers to Ehsan’s questions about the Dodgers-Marlins series.

Stacie: Dee Gordon. Wow. What was your initial reaction to the trade, and how is Gordon working out so far for Miami?

Ehsan: Dee Gordon has been one of the better Marlins for most of the season. His bat has severely cooled down since his .400+ batting average to start the season. But Gordon’s defense and base running have kept him afloat as one of the better second baseman in baseball. Gordon has exceeded expectations that many people around the Marlins, and their fans had before the season.

However, it would be hard to call that trade a win for the Marlins. Part of the reason they are struggling so much is because of injuries and a lack of depth. The injuries are mainly pure bad luck, but the lack of depth is poor planning, mostly due to the trade with the Dodgers. Andrew Heaney, Enrique Hernandez, Chris Hatcher, and Austin Barnes could have major roles in Miami right now due to injuries and ineffectiveness. While Gordon has been great, the depth is surely missed.

Giancarlo Stanton has hit very well against the Dodgers, and he will have to be pitched carefully to in the series. Photo: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

Stacie: The Marlins are ten games back and in fourth place in the N.L. East. Do you think they can turn things around this season? Where do you see them finishing this season?

Ehsan: I actually don’t think they will be able to turn things around. Even with Jose Fernandez and Jarred Cosart returning soon, I peg the true talent level of this team around a .500 mark for the rest of the season. They may get a few bounces and play a little better than that. But the Marlins are currently 14 games under .500, meaning they’d need to go 51-37 the rest of the season. That’s a long shot, in my opinion.

Where do I see them finishing? I think they are much better ballclub than the Phillies, even if they sell at the deadline. They’ll finish ahead of the Phillies, but in fourth place in the NL East. Probably also end up with a bottom 5 record, ensuring them a top 5 pick in the draft next season.

More from Dodgers Way

Stacie: When do you think Jose Fernandez returns? How has his rehab gone?

Ehsan: The Miami Marlins officially announced that Jose Fernandez will be returning to the major leagues to pitch for the team on July 2nd. That game is against the SF Giants and was not originally even supposed to be shown locally in Miami. Now it is, because everyone wants to watch Jose, not just Marlins fans.

Fernandez has had a strong rehab stint, dominating in the majority of his starts. More importantly, he has shown no ill effects the day after throwing. He should be near 100 pitches in his final rehab start Saturday, meaning he won’t be on too strict of a pitching count when he returns.

For all the Marlins have done wrong, I do appreciate how they’ve handled bringing Jose back.

Stacie: Giancarlo Stanton is amazing. How many homeruns do you think he hits against the Dodgers in the series?

Ehsan: I’ll say he hits two. Those two home runs would actually then set a Marlins record for most home runs before the all-star break, with 29. He’s currently on pace to smash the Marlins single season record of 47 home runs and become the first Marlin player to homer 50 times in one season. There is currently talk about him hitting 60, but I’m not buying into that, yet.

Stacie: Can you tell us about rookie Jose Urena set to start against the Dodgers on Sunday?

Ehsan: I like Urena, a lot, but I am not sure he’s ready to be a full-time major league pitcher at this point. He has a 4.34 ERA and a 4.91 FIP in 6 starts and 37+ innings of work so far. Urena has barley struck out more hitters than he’s walked, which is always a major red flag.

Urena is a sinkerballer that likes to keep the ball on the ground, amassing a 54% ground ball rate to this point. However, when he has allowed flyballs, they have left the park.

Stacie: How did the Marlins do in the Draft? Are there any selections you especially like?

Ehsan: I was not a fan of their first round pick, Josh Naylor. The pick felt like a major reach for a club that is well known to be infatuated with players with one loud tool and not much else. Naylor is a promising left handed power hitter, but he has no real defensive position and there are even questions about his defense at first base.

The rest of the draft was not bad. I like what the Marlins did and it’s going to be fun to see how the kids develop. I honestly did not pay as much attention to the draft this season as I have in past seasons, so I don’t know a lot about the majority of the players. But I am proud to say one of my friends, Giovanny Alfonzo, was among the Marlins picks. I interviewed him on Marlin Maniac a week after the draft.

Stacie: What are your predictions for the series?

Ehsan: I have zero confidence in saying the Marlins will win a game this series. They have to face Kershaw (Saturday) and Greinke (Sunday) the final two games of the series, and the way the Marlins have hit lately, it’s hard to see them tagging that duo for many runs. I also have less faith Tom Koehler and Jose Urena are going to be able to keep the Dodger bats quiet.

Even though I don’t feel confident about it, I say the Marlins win tonight and take a 1-0 lead in the series. But if they lose tonight, I’m sure they’ll be swept, again. A sweep would drop the Marlins to 17 games below .500….ouch.

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