Sixto Sánchez Hoping For Clean First Inning Against Diamondbacks

The Miami Marlins are trying to find a way to get Sixto Sánchez through the first inning unscathed

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sixto Sánchez has a 19.80 ERA in the first inning of his starts this season. / Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins couldn’t possibly top last night...could they?

Miami opened their road series with the defending NL champion Arizona Diamondbacks with a bang, as starter Braxton Garrett built on his breakout 2023 season with a complete game shutout in under 100 pitches - a “Maddux”, as they’re known. It wasn’t expected for Miami to outduel Arizona, especially as the Diamondbacks had former Marlins prospect Zac Gallen on the mound. 

Today’s another seemingly lopsided pitching matchup, with Sixto Sánchez (0-2, 6.41 ERA) taking on lefty free agent signing Jordan Montgomery (2-2, 4.98 ERA).   

Lineups for the Miami Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday, May 25th

Here's how Miami will line up for the contest:

RF Dane Myers
LF Bryan De La Cruz
DH Josh Bell
1B Jake Burger
3B Emmanuel Rivera
CF Jazz Chisholm Jr
SS Tim Anderson
2B Otto Lopez
C Christian Bethancourt

Sixto’s goal for today is to get better in the first inning - his ERA is 19.80 in the first frame of his starts, compared to just 1.88 in the other innings across the five starts he’s made this season. Not making things any easier is the fact that the Diamondbacks excel in the first inning, with their .321 batting average and .911 OPS among the best marks for any inning of their games. Leadoff man Ketel Marte has never faced Sánchez, but he’s batted .385 with three homers in his 28 leadoff plate appearances for Arizona this season. 

Here is the Diamondbacks lineup:

CF Corbin Carroll
2B Ketel Marte
DH Joc Pederson
1B Christian Walker
LF Lourdes Gurriel, Jr.
RF jake McCarthy
3B Eugenio Suárez
C Tucker Barnhart
SS Kevin Newman

Montgomery’s season was delayed due to his late starting date, signing towards the end of spring training, and that delay has translated to his on-field performance. But he’s historically been good against the Marlins, going 1-0 with a 2.12 ERA in three career starts against them. Miami has a punter’s chance, though - Vidál Bruján and Jake Burger have both taken him deep, while Jazz Chisholm Jr. is 2-2 and Josh Bell is 3-6 off of the lefty.  

How to Watch the Miami Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday, May 25th

This evening’s matchup is once again in the late window, scheduled for 10:10 PM ET, and there’s a full suite of broadcast options: In-market, the Marlins broadcast is on Bally Sports Florida and the Diamondbacks are on their self-produced DBacks.TV (while out of market, it’s a national broadcast on FS1). For audio, the Miami broadcast is available on Fox Sports 940AM (WINZ) and WAQI 710, while Arizona is on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station and KQMR Latino Mix 100.3 FM (Spanish language).