Miami Sends Out Confusing Lineup for Home Opener Against San Francisco

The Miami Marlins need to move on. 

The Fish came within one strike of winning Sunday’s game and the series against the Atlanta Braves, but old friend Marcell Ozuna’s 9th-inning homer was the difference in a series loss-clinching defeat on Sunday afternoon. 

But Miami’s right back in the saddle, with the San Francisco Giants in town for a three game set that starts tonight. The Marlins are welcoming back starter Edward Cabrera from the injured list for tonight’s game; he’s taking on lefty Kyle Harrison at 6:40 PM ET. 

Lineups for the Miami Marlins and San Francisco Giants on Monday, April 15th

Here’s how Miami will line up for the contest:

2B Luis Arraez
LF Bryan De LA Cruz
DH Josh Bell
SS Tim Anderson
CF Jazz Chisholm Jr.
RF Avisaíl García
1B Emmanuel Rivera
C Nick Fortes
3B Otto Lopez

Let’s come out and say it: This lineup is weird. We knew there’d need to be some shuffling with Jake Burger (oblique) on the injured list, but Tim Anderson batting cleanup? The same Tim Anderson that hit one homer in 524 plate appearances last season and has a grand total of seven in his last 202 games? The same Tim Anderson that has ZERO barrels this season and an average exit velocity of only 86.9 mph, good for the 27th percentile in all of baseball? The guy in the bottom 4% of all MLB hitters with a 20.6% hard-hit rate on the season? THAT’S your cleanup hitter? It should tell you something when a 30-year-old hitter can be in the league for nine seasons and never start a game batting cleanup…and that “something” is that “he’s not a major league cleanup hitter”.

It’s an interesting way to give run support to the returning Edward Cabrera. Making his first start of the year, Cabrera is facing the Giants for only the 2nd time in his career. Miami won the first matchup, which came on April 18th of last year, thanks to Cabrera’s six innings of six-hit, two-run ball, striking out eight and walking two. Only four current members of the Giants roster have hits off of Cabrera, with Michael Conforto (2-4) and Carl Yastrzemski (1-2) both having homers and Thairo Estrada (1-3) and Wilmer Flores (1-3) each picking up singles to left.  

Here’s San Francisco’s lineup:

CF Jung Ho Lee
1B Lamonte Wade Jr.
DH Jorge Soler
LF Michael Conforto
3B Matt Chapman
2B Thairo Estrada
RF Carl Yastrzemski
C Patrick Bailey
SS Nick Ahmed

Starting for the Marlins is young lefty Kyle Harrison, who has been..okay to open the season. In three starts, he’s 1-1 with a 4.76 ERA, allowing nine runs (all earned) in seventeen innings, walking only three and striking out seventeen. He’s never faced the Miami Marlins, and no current member of the roster has a Major League at-bat off of him.  

How to Watch the Miami Marlins and San Francisco Giants on Monday, April 15th

Today’s series opener is scheduled for a 6:40 PM ET first pitch with a full suite of broadcast options. In-market, the Marlins broadcast is on Bally Sports Florida and the Giants are on NBC Sports – Bay Area, with out-of-market fans being able to watch on MLB.tv. For audio, the Miami broadcast is available on Fox Sports 940AM (WINZ) and WAQI 710, while the Giants are on KNBR 680 AM.