Chicago Cubs vs Miami Marlins – Series Preview (May 12-14): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
The Cubs (23-18) lost two of three to the Mets at Citi Field this weekend as they finally wrapped up their brutal first 40 games of the schedule against a bevy of contenders. They acquitted themselves quite well, emerging from the gauntlet in first place with a slew of struggling teams ahead on the calendar, beginning with three against the Marlins at Wrigley starting Monday.
Miami (15-24) has lost 12 of the last 16 games to drop below the Nationals into last place in the NL East. The offense has been middling at best with a team OPS of .689 (17th in MLB) and just 34 total home runs. Outfielder Kyle Stowers has been the most productive hitter with an .861 OPS and seven homers. Old friend Matt Mervis has also hit seven dingers, but has not gone deep since late April.
The Marlins’ pitching has been a complete disaster with a staff ERA of 5.70, just barely ahead of the horrible Rockies for worst in baseball. Ace Sandy Alcántara currently has an 8.10 ERA in eight starts, but he just pitched on Sunday and won’t be on the mound for this series. The rest of the rotation has not fared much better, putting up a 6.26 mark.
The bullpen is somewhat more effective with Anthony Bender and Calvin Faucher providing solid innings. Not that it matters much when the rotation gives up runs in bunches and the offense can’t do nearly enough to make up for it. They just lost a series to the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field over the weekend and it certainly doesn’t get easier on the North Side.
The Cubs should be able to do a lot of damage to Miami’s pitching staff with their talented lineup. It would be helpful if they could grab some early leads and take pressure off a bullpen that is still very much in flux. This is an important time for manager Craig Counsell to make sure his squad does not relax against a bad opponent. If they can play like they have most of the season, they should have a lot of success in this series.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Monday, May 12 at 6:40pm CT on Marquee.
- Tuesday, May 13 at 6:40pm CT on Marquee.
- Wednesday, May 14 at 6:40pm CT on Marquee.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 5/12 | Colin Rea | 34 | R | 2.43 | 2-0 | 3.01 | 3.57 |
| Cal Quantrill | 30 | R | 7.11 | 2-3 | 4.92 | 2.00 | |
| 5/13 | Ben Brown | 25 | R | 4.95 | 3–3 | 3.34 | 2.75 |
| Valente Bellozo | 25 | R | 3.50 | 0–2 | 4.12 | 1.40 | |
| 5/14 | Jameson Taillon | 33 | R | 4.53 | 2-2 | 5.11 | 3.89 |
| Ryan Weathers | 25 | R | 3.63 | 5–6 | 4.11 | 3.33 |
What to Watch For
- Weathers is making his season debut after injury, so his numbers are from 2024.
- Ian Happ missed the last two games in New York with oblique tightness and his status for the series is unclear.
- Dansby Swanson hit another homer against the Mets and his OPS is back up to .750 on the season
