Both Johnny Cueto (13-3, 2.73 ERA) and Jose Fernandez (12-6, 2.87 ERA) have been beasts on the mound this season so it’s a toss-up as to who has the pitching edge. We have to draw the line somewhere, though, and with Fernandez coming off a slightly better performance than Cueto, we’re giving the Marlins the edge.
Fernandez allowed three runs on eight hits while striking out eight within six innings of a 3-2 loss to the hard-hitting Cubs on August 2. As for Cueto, he gave up four earned runs on seven hits in 7.2 innings of a 5-4 loss to the Phillies on April 3. Cueto, however, struck out 10 Phillies.
The Marlins’ offense has been productive of late with the team averaging 5.8 runs over their past four games. They are coming off a 10-7 win over the Rockies, though that game was played at hitter-friendly Coors Field. Moreover, Miami is second in the National League in batting average (.273) following the All-Star break. The Giants, on the other hand, are hitting just .241 during the same period.
