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On Tuesday, October 3, the Miami Marlins head north to take on the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Wild Series. Both members of the NL East, the two teams know each other well.
During the season, the two teams met 13 times, with Miami leading 7-6. With the memories of the Phillies' 2022 playoff run still fresh in the mind of fans at Citzens Bank Park, the energy for the series should be palpable. Let's examine which arms are expected to feature in the series.
Likely Philadelphia Phillies starting pitchers
Game 1 - Zack Wheeler
Six-foot-four right hander Zack Wheeler has posted an ERA over 3 this season for the first time since his 2019 season with the New York Mets.
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However, Wheeler has still been an ace for the Phillies this year. In 32 starts, the 33-year old is 13-6 with an ERA of 3.61 and boasts 212 strikeouts across 192 innings.
Game 2 - Aaron Nola
Right hander Aaron Nola is in the final year of a five-year, $56.7 million deal with the Phillies. As such, this may be Nola's last opportunity to make an impact on the team in a real way.
In 32 starts in 2023, Nola has struggled. Apart from posting a career-high WHIP figure, Nola's ERA stands at around 4.46 on the eve of the series. It's Nola's first season where he has surrendered more than 100 runs.
Game 3 - TBD
Although the Philadelphia Phillies have not been forthright about who will get the ball in a potential Game 3, there are some likely candidates. Taijuan Walker (15-6, 4.38) or Cristopher Sanchez (3-5, 3.44) are the most probable arms.
Likely Miami Marlins starting pitchers
Game 1 - Jesus Luzardo
Peruvian left-hander Jesus Luzardo came into his own this season for the Marlins. Before 2023, the most starts Luzardo maade was 18. This season, he has pitched to a 3.63 ERA across 32 starts, striking out 208 batters across 178 innings, giving him a strikeout/9 value of 10.5.
Game 2 - Braxton Garrett
Braxton Garrett, 26, appears likely to start Game 2 for the Miami Marlins. In his fourth season, the left-hander has put up career figures across the board.
In 31 appearances, the Alabama-born Garrett has a 9-7 record to go with his 3.66 ERA. While questions pertaining to Garrett's command swirled in the past, he appears to now have that area under control.
Game 3 - Edward Cabrera
Cabrera is a pitching dark horse for the Marlins in Game 3. The 25-year old Dominican was used almost exclusively as a starter this season.
At 6-foot-5, Cabrera has an electric curveball, which helped him register 118 strikeouts in 99 innings of work this year. However, his 4.24 ERA raises questions about his ability to respond to the Phillies' offense.
Which team has the pitching advantage?
The fact that Eury Perez and Sandy Alcantara are on the injured list means that the Philadelphia Phillies are likely to have the edge in every game of the series.
Coupled with their offensive firepower, the challenge looks daunting from a Marlins standpoint. However, if Luzardo can pitch well enough to allow his bullpen to do the work in Game 1, things might look better for Miami.
The winner of this playoff series will advance to play the Atlanta Braves. Meanwhile, the other NL Wild Card Series will feature the Milwaukee Brewers and Arizona Diamondbacks, who're sparring for a chance to play the Dodgers.
