Chicago Cubs vs Miami Marlins – Series Preview (May 5-7): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
After a very good West Coast road trip and a meh homestand, the Cubs (15-16) had a disastrous journey east this last week going 1-6 against the Nationals and Marlins. The problem for Chicago was a total lack of hitting with runners in scoring position, which led to five one-run losses. The mood going into the weekend rematch with Miami at Wrigley Field would be downright gloomy if not for a big addition from Triple-A.
First base prospect Matt Mervis has been tearing it up in Iowa the first month of the season and will be making his MLB debut Friday afternoon. Mervis shot up prospect lists after a giant 2022 season in which he nearly hit 40 home runs across three minor league levels. While not the talent level of Kris Bryant, this is probably the most anticipated promotion since KB made his journey to the Windy City in 2015.
The Marlins (16-16) just got crushed by the Braves in a three-game sweep at home and were outscored 26-9. This came after they had whitewashed the Cubs in three games, each decided by a single run. The offense continues to struggle outside of the red-hot Luis Arraez, so perhaps the Cubs can flip the outcomes this weekend.
Atlanta’s powerful lineup beat up on Miami pitching in that series, but the Cubs will have to face ace Sandy Alcántara after missing him last series. The Fish demonstrated last week they will allow a lot of traffic on the bases, the tricky part is making them pay for that.
Chicago needs to try and get back on track after an ugly trip, though it’s unfair to put so much hope into a young player like Mervis, it is nice to see the Cubs being proactive and taking risks to field the best possible team. Maybe this will be the start of a terrific career for Mash Mervis, it’s going to be fun to find out.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Friday, May 5 at 1:20pm CT on MLB Network (out of market only) and Marquee.
- Saturday, May 6 at 1:20pm CT on MLB Network (out of market only) and Marquee.
- Sunday, May 7 at 1:20pm CT on Marquee.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 5/5 | Justin Steele | 27 | L | 1.49 | 4-0 | 3.39 | 2.91 |
| Edward Cabrera | 25 | R | 4.67 | 2-2 | 5.40 | 1.44 | |
| 5/6 | Drew Smyly | 33 | L | 2.83 | 3-1 | 3.50 | 4.83 |
| Brian Hoeing | 26 | R | 6.23 | 0-1 | 3.36 | 2.00 | |
| 5/7 | Hayden Wesneski | 25 | R | 4.45 | 2-1 | 5.30 | 2.13 |
| Sandy Alcantara | 26 | R | 5.09 | 1-2 | 4.26 | 2.58 |
What to Watch For
- Seiya Suzuki reached base seven times against Washington and probably had the best at-bats in the series.
- It was just one game for rookie catcher Miguel Amaya, but he had a couple of nice swings on pitches, including a sacrifice fly, and looked comfortable behind the plate.
- Steele has been outstanding so far as the most consistent Cubs pitcher.
