8:10pm. Kip Wells and Jason Marquis. Marquis has been wild. In his last four starts, he has K'd 8 and walked 11 in 25 innings. He's also been extremely lucky, I suppose, enjoying a .187 BABIP. Remember, the league average for batting average on balls in play is about .300. Pitchers have only a little control over this. Generally speaking, pitchers that are tough to hit are tough to hit hard. Mark Prior and Pedro Martinez have enjoyed sub-.200 BABIPs this month. They walk few and strike out more than a quarter of the opposing batters. Maybe Prior and Martinez have earned that low number.
More to the point, a pitcher that can't throw strikes - like Jason Marquis, of late - can't claim to generate pop-ups or groundouts "on purpose." This guy has been lucky. If fortune favors the brave, Jason Marquis has been Hercules. FWIW, last year they hit .305 on balls in play off Jason Marquis.
Hopefully the Bucs sit back and make him throw strikes tonight. Why swing at the tough stuff when you can expect a hanging breaking ball?
If Wells and Marquis both labor, or if we get a stingy ump, this could be a loooooooooooooong game. It will be worth it if the Bucs can score early and often off Marquis.
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