A rough road trip for the Miami Marlins will continue when they visit the New York Mets for a series beginning on Friday.
The Marlins are off to a 1-3 start on the trip and have scored a total of five runs over the last three games. Miami is an MLB-worst 10-27 on the season and it is already 11.5 games behind in the division. The Mets sit at 17-20, which is good for third place in the National League East.
The lack of offense in Chicago for Miami did not come as a surprise, as the Marlins continue to have the lowest run total in all of baseball in 2019. The Marlins have scored 102 runs this season, with the next lowest total belonging to the Detroit Tigers at 121.
Pablo Lopez will start for Miam in Friday's game and will bring a 2-4 record into the appearance. Lopez is coming off a quality start against the Atlanta Braves, but he did not pick up a victory. The Marlins have lost five of Lopez's seven starts this season, while the right-hander has posted a 4.03 E.R.A in those outings.
Saturday's starting assignment will go to Sandy Alcantara, following a rough outing at Wrigley Field for the pitcher. Alcantara walked six of Chicago's hitters in five innings of work. The Marlins won that game, but Alcantara's command was an issue all game long. The six walks were a season-high for Alcantara and the short outing increased his E.R.A to 4.93 in 2019.
Miami's ace Caleb Smith will start on Sunday in the series finale. Smith has put together six straight quality starts and has a team-best 2.11 E.R.a this season. The left-hander has dominated some of baseball's strongest offensive units, with 56 strikeouts in 42.2 innings pitched. Smith is 3-0 on the season, with four no-decisions thus far.
Miguel Rojas leads Miami's qualified hitters with his .250 batting average. With JT Riddle performing well in AAA, Rojas' playing time could soon be reduced. The Marlins have not promoted Riddle as of yet, but it could be a move made in the near future. Despite leading the team in average, the Marlins will be looking for more power than Rojas typically provides. Riddle hit two home runs in his brief playing time this season, while Rojas has tallied none.
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Since returning from AAA, Peter O'Brien has picked up a hit in all but one of the games he has played. O'Brien is hitting .167 on the season, but .267 over the past week. The outfielder's time in Miami could be brief, as Garrett Cooper may soon be ready to return to action. A strong series in New York could possibly help O'Brien's chances of remaining on the roster.
The series will begin on Friday at 7:10 p.m.
