The Marlins make the trip to Phoenix to face the Diamondbacks! The Marlins have struggled and are one of the worst teams in the MLB this season, while the Diamondbacks have struggled to gain any consistency during this season so far. Our MLB odds series has our Marlins-Diamondbacks prediction, odds, and pick for Friday.
The Marlins are competing for the title of worst team in the MLB and they currently have a 17-34 record. Their bats have struggled up to this point in the season, ranking near the bottom of the MLB in team batting average. Their pitching is also one of the worst units in the MLB, only above the Rockies. Bryan De la Cruz, Jake Burger, Josh Bell, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. have been able to stand out despite the overall struggles as a team behind the plate. Ryan Weathers has been okay at best on the mound for a pitching staff that has struggled as a unit. The Marlins have struggled across the board this season and a matchup against the Diamondbacks is not going to help them gain much momentum with their prowess, mainly behind the plate.
The Diamondbacks have been inconsistent, but are playing better recently and have a 24-26 record. They have also won three out of their last four games. The Diamondbacks have had a strong season behind the plate and are in the top 10. Their pitching has struggled and is in the bottom half of the MLB. Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Ketel Marte, Joc Pederson, Corbin Carroll, Eugenio Suarez, and Christian Walker have been great behind the plate, while Zac Gallen, Brandon Pfaadt, and Merrill Kelly, despite his injury, have been very good on the mound. The Diamondbacks are a more talented team on paper than the team that won the NL last season, but they need to figure things out because they have had issues with consistency.
Moneyline: -178
Over: 8 (-110)
Under: 8 (-110)
How to Watch Marlins vs. Diamondbacks
Time: 9:40 pm ET
TV: Bally Sports Florida
Stream: fuboTV
Why The Marlins Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Marlins are starting Braxton Garrett on the mound where he has a 0-0 record, a 10.24 ERA, and a 1.55 WHIP. Through 9.2 innings, he has allowed 11 runs on 12 hits with three walks and 13 strikeouts. Garrett has started in two games for the Marlins and they have gone 2-0 in those games. In his last start, he pitched 4.1 innings and allowed six runs on seven hits with one walk and five strikeouts in a Marlins win. Garrett has struggled in his limited capacity on the mound and this is a difficult matchup against a very good Diamondbacks offense.
The Marlins’ offense has struggled this season especially when compared to last season. They are 21st in team batting average at .232 after finishing last season with a .259 batting average which was one of the best in the entire MLB. The offense is led by Bryan De La Cruz, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Josh Bell now that Luis Arraez is no longer on the team. De La Cruz leads the way in batting average at .259, in home runs at nine, and in total hits at 52. Chisholm Jr. then leads the way in OBP at .329 and Josh Bell leads the way in RBI at 26. This matchup does not do them any favors against Zac Gallen, who has been great on the mound once again.
Why The Diamondbacks Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Diamondbacks are starting Zac Gallen on the mound where he has a 5-3 record, a 3.02 ERA, and a 1.11 WHIP. Through 50.2 innings, Gallen has allowed 17 runs on 42 hits with 14 walks and 55 strikeouts. The Diamondbacks are 5-4 in the nine games that he’s started in this season. In his last start, he pitched 6.2 innings and gave up three runs on seven hits with zero walks and 10 strikeouts in a Diamondbacks loss. Gallen has a very favorable matchup in this game against a struggling Marlins offense behind the plate.
The offense for the Diamondbacks has been a standout so far this season. The Diamondbacks are 10th in the MLB in team batting average at .247 after having a team batting average of .250 last season. Ketel Marte and Christian Walker lead the team in almost every important batting category. Also, at least 13 Diamondbacks have hit one home run up to this point in the season. Marte leads the team in batting average at .291, is tied for the lead in home runs at 10 with Christian Walker, and then in total hits at 58. Walker then leads the way in RBI at 32 and in OBP at .358. The Diamondbacks get a favorable matchup against Braxton Garrett who has struggled in a limited capacity so far this season.
Final Marlins-Diamondbacks Prediction & Pick
The Marlins have struggled and the Diamondbacks gained some confidence recently with their play against the Dodgers in their most recent series. Gallen has the advantage over Garrett on the mound and these two offenses are opposites of each other with the Diamondbacks being great and the Marlins struggling. Expect the Diamondbacks to win and cover at home and extend their winning streak.
Final Marlins-Diamondbacks Prediction & Pick: Diamondbacks -1.5 (+122)
