Merrill Kelly and D-backs go for Series Win Against Marlins

Day Baseball in the desert with the roof closed at Chase Field today.

The Diamondbacks (20-16) and Marlins  (18-19) split the first two games of a three game series and will play the rubber match at 12:40 P.M. today.  The D-backs are 7-5 in day games so far this year. 

The surprising Marlins are in second place in the NL East and just a game and a half behind the Padres for the third wild card slot. They have played the Diamondbacks tough, taking three out of five games in the season series so far, and outscoring the D-backs 16-15

Pitching Matchup

Edward Cabrera averages 96 MPH with his four seam fastball and also throws a 95 MPH sinker. But he uses his change up and curveball more than the fastball. He's been plagued by walks, issuing 26 free passes in just 32 innings. That's led to a lot of short outings. But he has 44 strikeouts. If the D-backs hitters can have patient at bats and work the count they should be able to get into the Marlins bullpen early, but if they're too aggressive Cabrera could run up some big strikeout numbers. Cabrera has never faced the Diamondbacks or any D-backs hitter

Merrill Kelly struggled with walks earlier in the season but seems to have put those control problems behind him. He had his best start of the season on May 5th against the Nationals, going seven innings giving up just one run and one walk while striking out 10.  He did not face the Marlins in the earlier road series in Miami in April. 

Lineups

Last year on May 11th Joey Wendle had a two hit game against Merrill Kelly including a homer and a single. 

Alek Thomas is back in the lineup today with a right hander on the mound. Torey Lovullo said that Thomas' struggles against left hand pitching were a red flag for him, and he's been losing playing time with lefties on the mound.  Jose Herrera is behind the plate as usual for a day game. Not here for his offense, the defensive minded catcher has improved his offense from last year. His current batting average of .226 and .642 OPS, while still below league average represent enough production from a backup catcher.