3-28-24 – By Michael Castrignano – @412DoublePlay on X
The Pirates open the season in Miami against the Marlins for the first time in 18 years. The Fish are coming off a playoff season after finishing 84-78 but their pitching staff, which was formerly a strength, has been decimated by injuries. The Miami offense which finished last in runs in the National League in 2023 despite being 2nd in hits, behind only the Atlanta Braves in the Senior Circuit.
3/28
Marlins – Jesus Luzardo (L/L) – 10-10, 178.2 IP, 3.58 ERA, 208 Ks/55 walks, 1.21 WHIP
Pirates – Mitch Keller (R/R) – 13-9, 194.1 IP, 4.21 ERA, 210 Ks/55 walks, 1.25 WHIP
3/29
Marlins – AJ Puk (L/L) – 7-5, 56.2 IP, 3.97 ERA, 78 Ks/13 walks, 1.18 WHIP
Pirates – Martín Pérez (L/R) – 10-4, 141.2 IP, 93 Ks/49 walks, 1.40 WHIP
3/30
Marlins – Ryan Weathers (L/R) – 1-8, 57.2 IP, 6.55 ERA, 43 Ks/29 walks, 1.68 WHIP
Pirates – Jared Jones (R/R) – (AA/AAA) 5-9, 126.1 IP, 3.85 ERA, 146 Ks/50 walks, 1.24 WHIP
3/31
Marlins – Trevor Rogers (L/L) – 1-2, 18 IP, 4.00 ERA, 19 Ks/6 walks, 1.22 WHIP
Pirates – Bailey Falter (L/R) – 2-9, 80.2 IP, 5.36 ERA, 60 Ks/ 20 walks, 1.41 WHIP
Marlins:
Jazz Chisholm – Following a sub-par 2023 season where the center fielder posted a poor .761 OPS, Chisholm has rebounded from an injury-shortened campaign with a strong spring, slashing .316/.381/.605 in 15 games played. He expects to bat cleanup behind Luis Arraez, Josh Bell and Jake Burger, making for a very top-heavy Marlins lineup.
Pirates:
Ke’Bryan Hayes – Ke’ led the team in hits (21) in spring training while posting a 1.081 OPS and continuing his late-season surge with the bat. Fresh off a long-overdue Gold Glove win this offseason, Hayes is poised to show that he can be above average at the plate over a full season as well.
Marlins:
Jake Burger – Coming over from the White Sox at the trade deadline in 2023, Burger WENT OFF after heading to South Beach, posting a .303/.355/.505 triple slash with 9 home runs and 13 doubles in 53 games with the Marlins. In Spring Training, he didn’t look as good with a 36.2% strikeout rate and a .196/.213/.370 line over his 47 plate appearances.
Pirates:
Rowdy Tellez – Signed this off-season over fan-favorite Carlos Santana, Tellez scuffled with the bat – .650 OPS and only 1 home run in 48 plate appearances in Spring Training – and has been as expected defensively, costing his teammates errors on plays which required a moderate (but not unreasonable) amount of effort from Tellez.
Key Injuries
Marlins: Starting Pitching
Sandy Alcantara (Tommy John Surgery), Eury Perez (elbow), Braxton Garrett (shoulder), Edward Cabrera (shoulder) – Injuries have ravaged the rotation for the Marlins. 2022 Cy Young-Alcantara pitched 184.2 innings over 28 starts last season but was much less successful than his previous season (4.14 ERA vs 2.28 in ’22) and eventually had Tommy John Surgery in October. Perez felt discomfort in his elbow but has resumed a throwing program and his delay to the season is reportedly cautionary to help him build back up after a March 15th shutdown. Similarly, Garrett and Cabrera have also resumed throwing, pitching bullpens earlier this week, but none of these pitchers project to be available in the weekend series.
Pirates: Relief Pitching
Dauri Moreta (Tommy John Surgery), Carmen Mlodzinski (forearm), Colin Holderman (illness) – The pre-season strength for the Pirates has lost one key reliever for the season and two more for at least the first few weeks. Moreta officially had TJS last week, ending his season before it began. Mlodzinski felt discomfort in his right forearm and was shutdown on March 13th. He hasn’t yet begun a throwing program but is likely to begin soon, provided there are no setbacks. Holderman contracted the virus that circulated the clubhouse in Bradenton and it hit him HARD as he lost 15 pounds and ended up in the ER. He is reportedly healthy now and is just working to get himself ready for the season on a slight delay.
Who To Watch
Marlins:
Tim Anderson – The Marlins traded away Jon Berti as part of a 3-team trade earlier this week, opening the door for the team’s only free agent signing this offseason to prove 2023 was a fluke. He has shown the ability to bat over .300 and the potential for a 20/20 season when he can stay healthy.
Pirates:
Andrew McCutchen: Cutch is one home run shy of 300 on his career with a career .532 slugging percentage against southpaws – 95 of his 299 home runs have come against LHP in less than one-third of the plate appearances – and with 4 lefty starters projected for the Marlins this weekend, fans should be on-watch for him to reach this milestone.
Steel City Pirates 