Miami still has the better roster on paper and the better record, and the sportsbooks know it — the Marlins are the clear favorites here. But favorites and form aren't the same thing right now, and Miami's offense has looked lost the last several days.
The Marlins have lost 3 straight, getting outscored 19-6 in that stretch, and it's not hard to see why — the bats have gone cold at the worst possible time for a team clinging to wild-card relevance. The Angels, on the other hand, just won their last game, a 4-1 finish against Baltimore, and they took 1 of 3 in that series after splitting a two-game set with Milwaukee. It's not a hot streak so much as proof this Angels team can still scrap out a win when a pitcher gives them a chance.
Neither bullpen is at full strength. The Angels are without Sam Bachman, who landed on the 15-day IL with forearm inflammation, thinning out an already stretched relief corps behind a rookie starter. Miami's pen has its own absences with Andrew Nardi, Ronny Henriquez and Anthony Bender all out, which matters if Phillips can't work deep and Klassen gets an early hook. Two shaky bullpens plus a Marlins offense in a funk is exactly the kind of setup that can turn a laugher into a slugfest — or the other way around.