Last Updated on April 29, 2016 5:01 pm by Brad Burns
Marlins to battle Brewers – without Gordon
Our first look at the Dee Gordon-less Marlins comes tonight at Miller Park.
Milwaukee hosts Miami in the opener of a three-game set in the Badger State, with an 8:10 p.m. ET first pitch. Handicappers at online sports book Bovada.lv list the visiting team as a 1.5-run favorite. The over/under figure, for the record, sits at nine runs.
While Don Mattingly’s troops captured their fifth consecutive victory on Thursday, the clubhouse mood turned somber when MLB announced an 80-game ban for Gordon. The 2015 NL batting champion tested positive for performance-enhancing substances exogenous testosterone and clostebol. He will not appeal the suspension.
So, the Fish suddenly need a new leadoff man. It certainly helps, though, that Martin Prado and Christian Yelich continue to carry the load elsewhere in the lineup. The .381-hitting Prado boasts the second-best mark in the majors behind the Cardinals’ Aledmys Diaz. As for Yelich, the fourth-year sensation enters the action at .365.
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The one-two punch aims to extend Milwaukee starter Zach Davies’ (0-2, 9.72 ERA) misery. He surrendered eight base knocks and six runs during a 9-3 defeat at Pittsburgh 12 days ago, then yielded four more runs and nine hits in six innings of a 5-2 loss at Philadelphia last week. Of course, Miami’s Adam Conley (0-1, 5.12) hasn’t fared much better of late.
A club rarely sees a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner get ripped from its grasp without warning. How do the youthful Marlins respond? Odds are, they’ll take a bit to acclimate – even against a pitching staff that holds baseball’s worst ERA since April 17 at 6.43.
FRIDAY MLB FREE PICK: MARLINS/BREWERS UNDER 9 RUNS
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