Marvel v Jack Flaherty, Lineup & Notes

Game: The Sunday getaway matinee begins at 1:35 and will be on AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan. It’s Kids Day, and the freebie will be a mini-Mason truck.

Lineup: Kevin Newman SS, Bryan Reynolds LF, Starling Marte CF, Colin Moran 3B, Jose Osuna 1B, Melky Cabrera RF, Adam Frazier 2B, Jake Stallings, James Marvel P. J-Bell is down for the day, as are all the call-ups.

Pitchers: RHP James Marvel (0-0/0.00) concludes the set against RHP Jack Flaherty (9-7/3.14). Marvel was 7-0/2.67 at Indy and a combined 16-5/2.94 in AA/AAA this year. The 25-year-old was a late draft pick (36th round) from Duke in 2015 after undergoing TJ surgery; looks like he’s back all the way now. Of course, this is a pretty hefty challenge for his debut. In his last 11 games, Flaherty has been an ace, with a line of 5-2/0.90 and an oppo BA of .141. He has faced Pittsburgh once during the campaign, getting a no decision after seven innings of three-hit, one-run ball with eight whiffs. It does look like a mismatch on paper, but remember what happened when Chad Kuhl debuted against Clayton Kershaw in 2016…?

Notes:

• A quick James Marvel cheat sheet – he’s not a big strikeout guy (7K/nine) who features decent control (three walks/nine) and a rep as a ground ball guy (48-49%) who keeps the ball in the yard (0.6 HR/nine). He’s projected to be a mid-to-back-end rotation guy, so he’s a pitcher who is hoped to stabilize, not save, the staff.
• Adam Frazier has reached base safely in 17 straight games going into today (he was hitless in two of the contests, but drew a walk). Being dropped in the order seems to suit him well.
• Stephen Brault will sing the National Anthem this afternoon.
• This is the last game of the 2019 series against the Redbirds. The Bucs still have divisional matches with the Brewers, Cubs and Reds later in the month.