Cleveland is trying to hang on in the AL Central without three of its best hitters, and it's walking into a Miami team that just had one of the best months in franchise history.
Bush’s Picks
CLEMIA
CLEMIA
OverUnder
Best BetMarlins
Miami's the far more complete team right now, and it's not close. The Marlins just posted a franchise-record month, own the best team ERA in the majors, and are getting healthier bats while Cleveland is still missing 3 key pieces. Back the Marlins to win outright here.
Guardians
+Won 3 straight before latest slide
+Jose Ramirez nearing a return to action
+League-leading in grinding out one-run wins
−Scored just 32 runs over last 10 games
−Missing Ramirez, Martinez and DeLauter simultaneously
−Lost 2 of last 5 to Chicago
Marlins
+Won 20 of 26 games in June
+Majors-best team ERA fuels the surge
+Only 2.5 games back of second place
−Bender, Ekness, Nardi all on extended IL
−Marsee day-to-day with knee contusion
−Rotation already down Junk, Mazur, Snelling
The Guardians (47-44) sit a game back of Chicago in the Central, but this roster barely resembles the one that got them there. Jose Ramirez, Angel Martinez, and Chase DeLauter have all been out, and Cleveland has scored just 32 runs over its last 10 games without them. The Marlins (49-42) are riding the opposite wave, having won 20 of 26 games in June behind the majors' lowest team ERA, and they're now just 2.5 games back of Philadelphia for second in the NL East.
First pitch is set for 7:10 PM ET on Friday, July 10, and neither club has announced a starter yet for this one. Whoever Miami hands the ball to will be doing it with a deep, surging rotation behind him — Sandy Alcantara and Max Meyer have carried the staff, and Eury Perez has looked sharp in his return from the injured list. Cleveland's staff doesn't have that kind of momentum story right now; the bigger issue in Cleveland has been generating runs, not preventing them.
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7:10 PM ET
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CLE Guardians
MIA Marlins
Ramirez has reportedly been progressing well, doing tee work and getting close to facing live pitching again, which is the best news Guardians fans have had in weeks. Miami, meanwhile, is dealing with its own attrition on the pitching side — Anthony Bender, Josh Ekness, and Andrew Nardi are all on extended injured-list stints, and center fielder Jakob Marsee is day-to-day with a knee issue. Still, the Marlins have found a way to keep winning through it, which says something about the depth they've built.
Cleveland Guardians
Jul 9?@ Twins—
Jul 8?@ Twins—
Jul 7?@ Twins—
Miami Marlins
Jul 9?vs Mariners—
Jul 8?vs Mariners—
Jul 7?vs Mariners—
Recent form.
Cleveland has actually split its last 5, taking 3 straight from Chicago before dropping the final 2 of that set, so this isn't a team in freefall — it's a team getting by on close games. The Guardians have played a league-leading 31 one-run contests this season, which is its own kind of survival mode. Miami's last 5 tell a cleaner story: 2 early-week losses to Colorado sandwiched around a 3-game sweep of the Athletics, including a 12-run outburst and a wild 9-8 win.
Cleveland Guardians
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Miami Marlins
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
This is a series worth watching for the Marlins' trajectory alone — a team that was outside the top 10 in power rankings a month ago is now knocking on the door of a wild-card spot. For Cleveland, it's more about survival: keep the deficit manageable until Ramirez and Martinez are back in the lineup, and hope the pitching holds the fort in the meantime.
