Breaking down the matchups and identifying an x-factor in Game 1 of Phillies-Marlins.
Mets
While the balanced schedule prevented these teams from seeing each other several times every month, they still played 13 games this season. The, while the Phillies will be relatively healthy. The Marlins have three batters with 20 homers or more, while the Phillies have six. The Marlins were named after a fish that can stab you in the eyeball. The Phillies were named by a drunk sportswriter who couldn’t be bothered to say or type “adelphia.”.13-6, 3.61 ERA, 192 innings, 212 strikeouts, 1.
One of the few horses left in the postseason, Wheeler is the kind of pitcher who gives his bullpen a rest. He pitches into the sixth inning almost every time, and he’ll get into the seventh more often than his peers. If the Phillies are in the NLDS, NLCS or World Series, it’s probably because Wheeler is doing good things.Luzardo is on the Marlins because he was traded by the Oakland A’s back when they were trying, if you can imagine such a thing.
Against right-handers, Schwarber was his purest self, hitting .201/.357/.497, with 32 homers in 467 plate appearances. Against left-handers, Schwarber was better than you might expect. He was under the Mendoza Line against lefties this season, and he’s been close to it throughout his career, but he still managed 15 homers and a .758 OPS against them this year. He’s a player who should be platooned if you have a better option, but he’s far from a MUST PLATOON sinkhole. How he does against Luzardo might decide Game 1, which means this is the matchup that could decide the series.