The Miami Marlins seek to snap their two-game losing streak when they face the Philadelphia Phillies in the second of a three-game series between NL East rivals on Wednesday night. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm ET at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
The Marlins dropped the series opener, 4-3, to fall to 33-45. The Marlins are in the last place in the NL East standings, four games behind the fourth-place Atlanta Braves and 4½ games behind the third-place Phillies.
Philadelphia has alternated wins and losses over its last six games, coming in with a 37-40 record. The Phillies are in third place in the NL East, two games behind the second-place Washington Nationals and five games behind the first-place New York Mets.
The MLB odds have the Phillies as the favorites at -235, while the Marlins are listed at +195. The over/under has been set at 8½ runs.
Last-Minute Move
The Marlins were scheduled to have right-hander Cody Poteet start but he was placed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday with a sprained knee. That forced Miami to recall right-hander Jordan Holloway from Triple-A Jacksonville, and he’ll make the start instead.
Holloway has made two starts and eight total appearances with the Marlins, going 1-2 with a 2.55 ERA. He has 14 strikeouts and 10 walks in 17⅔ innings of work.
Holloway is 0-2 in his two starts, going a total of 6 2/3 innings in May against the Dodgers and Diamondbacks and allowing five earned runs on seven hits while walking seven and striking out three. He pitched a perfect inning in relief in his last appearance against the Mets on May 21, striking out one.
Outfielder Adam Duvall had a two-run homer in Tuesday’s loss, giving him 17 along with 55 RBIs, both team-leading totals. Duvall has turned it on in June, hitting eight of those home runs while driving in 22 runs and scoring 13 times.
First baseman Jesus Aguilar scored on Duvall’s home run, giving him 25 runs scored. He is batting .260 to lead the Marlins, as well as hitting 14 doubles and 12 home runs and driving in 51 runs.
Still A Struggle
The Phillies were up 4-0 on Tuesday heading to the eighth inning, so they should have felt confident. But after the team’s bullpen had blown seven saves in its previous six games, there’s no confidence in a win until it’s complete. That showed up again on Tuesday, as Philadelphia relievers gave up three runs over the final two innings before finally shutting the door.
“I have confidence in my guys, even though we have a lot of hiccups,” Philadelphia pitcher Vince Velasquez said after he started and allowed just two hits over seven innings in Tuesday’s win. “I think there’s a lot of light at (the end of) the tunnel.”
Right-hander Aaron Nola will try to have faith in his bullpen. Nola is 5-4 with a 3.97 ERA, striking out 107 and walking 22 in 90⅔ innings.
Nola was in line for one more win on his resume in his last outing, as he went 5⅓ innings against the Mets and allowed two hits and no runs while striking out 12 and walking one. He even drove in the Phillies’ only run with a double, but the bullpen allowed the Mets to come back and win 2-1 in eight innings in the opener of a doubleheader on Friday.
First baseman Rhys Hoskins hit his team-leading 17th home run on Tuesday night, snapping an 0-for-23 slump. He also leads the Phillies with 44 RBIs and 41 runs scored.
Outfielder Bryce Harper went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts but still leads the Phillies with a .267 batting average. He has 11 home runs, 21 RBIs and 37 runs scored in 57 games.
Phillies Get WIn
Nola was great in his last start, and he should be able to keep the Marlins’ offense quiet in this one as well. Holloway has struggled as a starter this season, which should allow Philadelphia to get to him and take the second game of this series.
When doing your MLB betting, take Philadelphia to get the win at home.
