I have been shocked at the turnaround the Arizona Diamondbacks have managed over the last couple of weeks. At one point the Diamondbacks were 6-11, in fifth place in the NL West, and had one of the worst lineups in the league. Well, they are still in fifth place, and are still hitting under .200, but, somehow, the D-Backs continue to win games. The NL West is so good that Arizona is in fifth place with a winning record.
The Diamondbacks recently took series wins over the Dodgers, and the Cardinals along with an outright sweep of the Marlins last week. Miami was looking for revenge but lost Game 1 of this series 4-3 and are already on their back foot.
Here are the odds for this game, courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.
Marlins vs. Diamondbacks Odds, Run Line, and Total
Run Line:
- Marlins: -1.5
- Diamondbacks: +1.5
Moneyline:
- Marlins: +105
- Diamondbacks: -135
Total:
- 8.5 (Over -110/Under -110)
Marlins vs. Diamondbacks Prediction and Pick
While the Diamondbacks have been surging, the Marlins are dead in the water. They were 1-7 straight up heading into this series and promptly added a loss to that record on Monday night. Not only are the Marlins playing worse, but they have a slight disadvantage on the mound in Game 3 of this series.
Sandy Alcantara gets the nod for Miami and brings a respectable 3.03 ERA and 1.32 WHIP along with him. However, he’s been a bit shaky recently with seven runs allowed in his last 10 ⅓ innings pitched. This, along with six walks in those two games, has me wondering if his strong start was a fluke.
The Diamondbacks will rely on Merrill Kelly tonight to keep the Miami bats at bay. At 3-1 with a 1.22 ERA and 1.03 WHIP, this is a good spot for Kelly and Arizona. He was one out away from a complete game on Friday night after pitching 8 ⅔ innings with only two balls against the Rockies.
Kelly struck out eight and walked two batters while needing just 106 pitches to nearly go all the way. He’s held teams to zero runs in three of his six starts and is one of the most important players on this team right now. I expect him to keep rolling against a struggling Marlins team at Chase Field.
Pick: Diamondbacks +1.5
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