Diamondbacks vs Marlins Pick: Surprising Miami Tries For Its 3rd Straight Win (Apr 15)

• Our Diamondbacks vs Marlins pick looks at Arizona (9-7) visiting surprising Miami (8-7)
• The D-Backs send righty Merrill Kelly to the mound; Miami counters with fellow righty Connor Gillispie
• The Marlins are one of MLB‘s biggest underdogs and have gotten off to an unexpectedly good start
• Arizona is unfortunate in that it is trapped in the NL West with the Dodgers, Giants, and Padres

Kelly Hopes To Keep Arizona on Its Winning Track

The Diamondbacks have won 4 of 5. Their 36-year-old veteran righty Merrill Kelly saw his ERA blow up over 7 due to a bad second start of the year against the Yankees. New York pounded him for 9 earned runs in 3.2 innings. His other two starts were solid.

He has never faced any hitter currently on the Marlins.

Chunks of the D-Backs’ lineup are riding the interstate. Garrett Hampson is batting .143, Eugenio Suarez is batting .145 (albeit with 5 homers), Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is at .145, Gabriel Moreno is hitting .222, and Jake McCarthy is batting below .100.

On the positive side of the coin, Josh Naylor is batting .322 with a .872 OPS. Geraldo Perdomo has a slash of .333/.448/.490. Alek Thomas is hitting .344. Corbin Carroll is back to his Rookie of the Year form, batting .333 with 5 homers. And Pavin Smith is hitting .361.

The Marlins’ Bats and Bullpen Are Carrying Them

Miami was widely expected to lose over 100 games again. It was partially by design, as President of Baseball Operations Peter Bendix is overseeing a full rebuild. Apparently, no one told the players they’re supposed to lose (yet) because they are 8-7 after 15 games.

First baseman Matt Mervis has 5 homers. Young shortstop Xavier Edwards is at .310 and has been exhilerating in the field and on the bases.

Kyle Stowers is hitting .314 with a .410 on-base percentage. Their young bullpen with Anthony Bender, Luke Bachar, Ronny Henriquez, and Tyler Phillips has been dominant.

Starter Cole Gillispie has a 3.86 ERA in 3 starts this season, allowing 11 hits and 6 earned runs in 14 innings.

Gillispie has never faced the Diamondbacks.

Diamondbacks vs Marlins Pick: The Teams Will Score More Than 8.5 Runs

With pitchers who have never faced the opposing hitters, it can go either way with a low-scoring or high-scoring affair. Since both teams’ bats have been producing, both teams should put runs on the board and go beyond a total of 8.5.