Reds vs. Marlins: RHP Mike Leake vs. RHP Jacob Turner

Cincinnati Reds (55-55) vs. Miami Marlins (54-56)

 
RHP Mike Leake (8-9, 3.53 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, .268 OAV) vs. RHP Jacob Turner (4-6, 5.69 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, .319 OAV)

 
Sunday, August 3, 2014: 1:10 p.m. at Marlins Park

Coming off one of his three best starts of the season, Mike Leake is seemingly on a roll. His in-depth numbers indicate that this is his best season yet with his FIP at just 3.63. Yet, he still leads the National League in hits allowed. Having pitched in just 147.2 innings, Leake has allowed a whopping 154 base hits. He has made 22 starts in 2014 and just four times has he allowed less than five hits. While Leake admittedly pitches to contact, how much longer he can stay so “lucky” is to be determined.

 
Having gotten a decision in every single start but one dating back to May 25, Leake will hope that his offense affords him the luxury of getting back to .500 on Sunday.

 
For his career, he owns an astronomical 5.66 ERA in the month of August. In just 116 innings pitched, he has allowed 146 base hits, part of which is why his 1.49 WHIP in the month is staggering.

 
In two career starts against Miami, Leake has picked up a win on both occasions. Even though he possesses a 2.13 ERA, he has managed to allowed 15 hits (and four walks) in just 12.2 innings of work, totaling a 1.50 WHIP.

 
Here is the lineup he will be facing via the team’s Twitter account:

 
LF – Christian Yelich (yet to face Leake)
2B – Jordany Valdespin (0-for-3, 1 K)
RF – Giancarlo Stanton (1-for-3)
3B – Casey McGehee (0-for-2, 1 BB, 1 K)
1B – Garrett Jones (13-for-39, 3 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 4 K’s)
CF – Marcell Ozuna (1-for-3, 1 K)
SS – Adeiny Hechavarria (0-for-3, 1 K)
C – Jeff Mathis (yet to face Leake)
P – Jacob Turner (yet to face Leake)

The 6’5” former first-round pick of the Detroit Tigers gets his first peek at the Reds this year. His one career start against Cincinnati was a dominant one in which he picked up the win on the back of seven scoreless innings in which he allowed only two hits.

 
To say that 2014 has been a travesty for Turner may be an understatement. Then again, the cure for a slumping pitcher is always a scuffling offense. Having been relegated to bullpen duty prior to the All-Star break, Turner has made the most of his opportunities in the second half. He has pitched arguably his two best games of the year to pick up wins (neither of which was a quality start), while dropping his ERA south of six.

 
What may bode well for the Reds is the fact that in eight career starts, Turner has never picked up a win in the month of August. Another minor nuance that may help the Reds is if the roof at Marlins Park opens for the afternoon contest. For his career, Turner is 2-13 with a 5.11 ERA when dealing with an open roof.

 
Here is the lineup he will face via the Reds’ Twitter account:

 
CF – Billy Hamilton (yet to face Turner)
RF – Jay Bruce (0-for-3, 1 K)
1B – Todd Frazier (1-for-2, 1 2B, 1 BB)
C – Devin Mesoraco (yet to face Turner)
LF – Ryan Ludwick (0-for-2, 1 BB)
2B – Skip Schumaker (1-for-4, 1 2B, 2 BB’s)
3B – Kristopher Negron (yet to face Turner)
SS – Zack Cozart (yet to face Turner)
P – Mike Leake (yet to face Turner)

Both clubs still strongly believe they are in the thick of the Wildcard hunt with just about eight weeks remaining in the regular season. Unfortunately, both are climbing quite the treacherous mountain with only 52 games remaining. It may read early August on the calendar still, but these games are of the utmost importance.