Four Most Important Series on Marlins Schedule After All-Star Break
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The second half of the MLB season is the most intriguing because of competitive scheduling and the trade deadline.
The Miami Marlins are currently on a nine-game losing streak. Many big games will be coming up in August, but there's one crucial series in September that's arguably the most important one in the second half.
Marlins Showdown Against the Cubs and Phillies
Miami has more than one series in the second half that they should have marked on their schedule. They will face the Cubs twice in September, but the first series, at LoanDepot Park (Sept. 4-6), will say a lot about their chances of making the playoffs.
Why does that need to be said?
The Cubs are in first place in the NL Wild Card with a 57-45 record. It's a team that has a solid record at home and on the road. The Cubs are 27-23 on the road and could be one of the teams that has the potential to have a big run in the second half. The Marlins must crash their hopes and take advantage of that series.
Some good luck charm might play in their favor since the last game of that weekend series will be the "Josh Beckett Hall of Fame Mini Bobblehead" day. The Marlins and Cubs will meet again later in the season (Sept 22-24) at Wrigley Field. The first series is more important because teams that are in playoff contention must move the needle at the start of September.
The Marlins' pitching needs to be way better if they want to have an edge over the Cubs and even the Phillies, who are ahead of them in the wild card.
The Phillies are one of the honorable mentions in terms of how important it is for the Marlins to win the series in the second half. The NL East division rivals will square off next week (July 27-29) for a home series and then travel to Citizens Bank Park (Aug 17-19).
It's not going to be easy; however, the Marlins have a chance to secure series victories against other opponents in the second half against the San Diego Padres, New York Mets, Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Washington Nationals. Those are series that would be rare for the Marlins to lose. A sweep or taking two out of three is a must for this talented Marlins group.
The Marlins are off to a lousy start after the All-Star break. The offense needs to drive in more than six runs, and the bullpen must be sharp. This weekend series at home against the Padres could be a fresh start for the team to get their act together.
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After graduating from City College of New York in 2014, Miguel created his own blog. Since 2021, he has written for FanSided, where he covered the Toronto Blue Jays, College Football and Utah Mammoth hockey team. He also wrote for Miami Heat on SI and Cleveland Sports Talk. Miguel is the creator and host of his podcast, Baseball Heat Podcast with Mike.