Chicago Cubs @ Miami Marlins – Series Preview (August 23-25): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
The Cubs (63-65) finished their homestand against the Blue Jays and Tigers with a 4-2 record as they try to keep their slim playoff chances alive. Next up is a three-city road trip to the East Coast to face a set of teams with losing records. It’s almost certainly the North Siders’ last real chance to make a move up the standings before time runs out.
The trip begins with a trio of games in Miami starting Friday night. If not for the White Sox, the Marlins (46-81) would be the worst team in baseball their team OPS of .662 is, you guessed it, only better than the Sox. They traded away several of their best hitters, with third baseman Jake Burger standing as the lone exception with 25 homers and a .780 OPS.
The Miami pitching staff is only the third-worst in baseball with a 4.65 ERA, although, trades have thinned the ranks of that unit too. The starting rotation has been in flux the entire season and it’s reflected with a 5.22 ERA. With all the veterans either shipped out of town or injured, the remaining arms are very young.
The Fish are a much weaker squad than the one that split a series with the Cubs at Wrigley in April. These are games Chicago really needs to take advantage of if there is to be any thought at all of making noise going forward. That requires executing well and playing good baseball, which has not been close to a sure thing so far this season.
Craig Counsell and company have one more chance to surprise us and get on a roll. They have not demonstrated an ability to do that so far this season, so let’s see if the Cubs can actually mess around and be productive for a change.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Friday, August 23 at 6:10pm CT on Marquee.
- Saturday, August 24 at 3:10pm CT on Marquee.
- Sunday, August 25 at 12:40pm CT on Marquee.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 8/23 | Kyle Hendricks | 34 | R | 6.35 | 3-10 | 5.27 | 2.48 |
| Max Meyer | 25 | R | 5.58 | 3-3 | 5.54 | 2.75 | |
| 8/24 | Shōta Imanaga | 30 | L | 3.11 | 9-3 | 3.58 | 6.85 |
| Valente Bellozo | 24 | R | 2.45 | 2-1 | 3.53 | 3.38 | |
| 8/25 | Javier Assad | 27 | R | 3.11 | 6-3 | 4.37 | 1.98 |
| Adam Oller | 29 | R | 9.64 | 0-1 | 11.73 | 0.50 |
What to Watch For
- Cody Bellinger had four hits against the Tigers and is now back playing in the field as his broken finger heals.
- Miguel Amaya had a huge game on Thursday with a home run, a double, and five RBI.
- Assad had his best start of the second half against the Tigers on Tuesday night.