Marlins Lineup vs. Phillies: Miami Loads Up the Lefties Against Zach Wheeler

Miami Marlins manager Clayton McCullough (86) returns to the dugout after a pitching change against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Marlins Lineup vs. Phillies: Miami Loads Up the Lefties Against Zach Wheeler

Originally posted on Miami Marlins on SI | By Seth Dowdle | Last updated May 1, 2026 5:30 PM ET

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The Miami Marlins are entering their 10-game homestand in total bliss. The team just finished off a series victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers, which undoubtedly was one of — if not the — greatest moments of the season so far. It is now the Marlins’ goal to keep up that momentum into their four-game set against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Despite the wonderful feelings, coming back to loanDepot Park will be a much-needed offensive reprieve. The Marlins hit much better at home than they do on the road — Miami has a .266 batting average at home compared to just .234 on the road — which means that this homestand provides an ample opportunity for the bats to wake up a little bit and deliver the team some much-needed wins.

Friday night's matchup is an interesting one, as the Phillies will send out RHP Zack Wheeler to make his second start of the season. Wheeler is obviously one of the best pitchers in baseball, but he is still finding his groove after recovering from surgery that addressed both venous thoracic outlet syndrome and a blood clot near his right shoulder. There could be some room for the Marlins to explode offensively tonight, so long as Wheeler lets them, of course.

Marlins Splits Entering Series

Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

As mentioned earlier, the Marlins hit better at home. Additionally, they are also a better-hitting team against right-handed pitching, which means that Wheeler should be ready for a battle.

Season Slash: .250/.331/.381, 23 home runs, 129 RBI

Road Slash: .234/.312/.358, 12 home runs, 58 RBI

Home Slash: .266/.349/.403, 11 home runs, 71 RBI

vs. RHP: .262/.337/.407, 21 home runs, 100 RBI

vs. LHP: .221/.315/.313, two home runs, 29 RBI

with RISP: .273/.351/.405, eight home runs, 103 RBI

Marlins Lineup vs. Phillies on May 1

Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

CF Jakob Marsee (L)
LF Kyle Stowers (L)
SS Otto Lopez
2B Xavier Edwards
C Liam Hicks (L)
DH Agustín Ramírez
RF Owen Caissie (L)
1B Christopher Morel
3B Javier Sanoja

Manager Clayton McCullough has loaded up his lineup with lefties against Wheeler, a savvy choice considering how well the Marlins’ left-handed bats fare against righties. Combine that with the superior home hitting, and it appears that the Marlins could be in line to put up some runs on Friday — that is, if Wheeler is off his game. There is always the chance that he just goes nuclear, which would neutralize any sort of favorable matchup that the Marlins could throw at him.

Only Edwards, Lopez, Morel, and Stowers have faced Wheeler before. Lopez has the most success by far, as he is hitting .444 with a 1.056 OPS versus Wheeler in nine at-bats. Morel has put up an .873 OPS in 10 at-bats, with one of those hits going out of the park. He is the only Marlin to hit a home run off Wheeler in his career.

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