Carlos Carrasco (9-7, 3.23 ERA) and the Cleveland Indians (76-56) go up against Andrew Cashner (4-10, 4.72 ERA) and the Miami Marlins (68-66) in the first of a three-game interleague series at Progressive Field. The game starts at 7:10 p.m. ET on Friday, Sep. 2 and will air on STOh and FSFL.
In his last start, Carrasco pitched 4.0 innings, allowing seven runs (four unearned), striking out eight and walking one in a 7-0 loss to the Rangers. Mike Napoli (.259, 81 Rs, 29 HRs, 88 RBIs, 4 SBs) continued his strong season Wednesday, going 2 for 3 with two runs. The Marlins were also unsuccessful the last time Cashner pitched. He pitched well, going 6.0 innings, giving up one run, striking out four and walking two in a 1-0 loss to the Royals. Giancarlo Stanton (.244, 52 Rs, 25 HRs, 70 RBIs) has been hitting the ball well for the Marlins, going 3 for 5 yesterday with one run, one home run, and three RBIs.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Indians have a SU record of 10-7 against the NL. Cleveland has been struggling as of late. In the last 10 games, Cleveland has only averaged 3.0 runs per game compared to the 4.9 it’s averaged on the season. The Indians are a nightmare on the bases for opponents with 106 steals, one of the highest totals in baseball. Turning to the pitching and defensive side, teams routinely struggle to score runs against the Indians, who allow only 4.2 runs per game.
When playing Interleague opponents, the Marlins have a 6-11 record SU. The Marlins will be looking to pick it up in this one after recent offensive struggles. In their 10 most recent games, Miami’s run production has dropped to 2.3 runs per game, compared to 4.9 for the duration of the season. Playing competition from the AL really brings the worst out of the Miami pitchers. They allow 4.9 runs per game against teams in the AL, which is higher than their season average of 4.1.
The Indians will take on a right-hander (Cashner) in this game and have a 47-41 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Marlins will be the right-hander Carrasco. They sport a 46-57 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – CLE
Notes
The Indians are coming off of a hot pitching game where they recorded 13 strikeouts. The Marlins have a record of 1-3 when they are struck out that many times or more.
When they are outhit, the Marlins are 9-42. The Indians have a 10-40 record when opponents outhit them.
Miami ranks near the bottom of the league at 28th when it comes to home runs, hitting 110 this season. Cleveland ranks in the top half with 165.
Cleveland and Miami both rank in the top five of the league in hits. Cleveland sits at third with 9.10 hits per game and Miami ranks second with 9.28.
Ranking 20th, Miami is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.730). Cleveland ranks in the top 10 at seventh with an OPS of .768.
When the Marlins allow at least one home run, they are 30-41, well-matched with the Indians who are 47-48 when allowing at least one homer.
