Marlins Aim For Third Straight Series Win In Finale With D-Backs
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MIAMI (CBSMiami/Gracenote) – The Miami Marlins early-season freefall seems to have stopped on a dime in recent weeks.
Miami has been playing much better baseball after a rough start to the season and they received another boost Saturday from Edinson Volquez's no-hitter in a stirring 3-0 victory.
The Marlins go after their third straight series victory and a seventh win in eight contests when they host the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday afternoon in the finale of a four-game set.
Volquez took center stage in the third game of the series, but Miami's offense has been productive during a 9-4 stretch in which it has averaged almost six runs per contest and Justin Bour boasts seven RBIs in the last four, including two on Saturday.
Vance Worley will try to follow up the sixth no-hitter in Marlins' history with a strong effort and Arizona will counter with fellow right-hander Braden Shipley, who will be recalled after a sharp month at Triple-A Reno.
The Diamondbacks are 5-5 with one encounter left on an 11-game road trip and were shut out for just the second time this season on Saturday, striking out 10 times.
Nick Ahmed registered two of those strikeouts for Arizona, but has been one of the team's hottest hitters of late while going 10-for-26 over the last seven games.
PITCHING MATCHUP: Diamondbacks RH Braden Shipley (0-1, 6.75 ERA) vs. Marlins RH Vance Worley (0-2, 4.50)
With Taijuan Walker (blister) not yet ready to return, Shipley will be summoned to make his second start of 2017 after allowing three runs, five hits and six walks over four innings in a loss at Washington on May 4.
"He has been throwing the ball really well," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo told MLB.com. "We feel like he's going to step in here, follow the game plan, and do exactly what we need him to do."
Shipley is 5-1 with a 3.93 ERA in nine minor-league starts this year.
Worley gets his third start with the Marlins after permitting five runs on eight hits and one walk over nine total innings in a pair of losses last month.
The 29-year-old Long Beach State product, who pitched a scoreless inning in relief Tuesday against Philadelphia, was 2-2 with a 3.53 ERA in 35 appearances (four starts) with Baltimore in 2016.
David Peralta is 3-for-6 with a homer versus Worley, who is 1-1 with a 2.05 ERA in four career starts against the Diamondbacks.
WALK-OFFS
- Arizona 1B Paul Goldschmidt (13 homers, 43 RBIs) is 3-for-10 in the series after going 3-for-22 in his previous six games.
- Miami RF Giancarlo Stanton is 9-for-19 with three homers and six RBIs during a six-game hitting streak, while Bour owns a seven-game hitting streak.
- Diamondbacks 3B Jake Lamb, who leads the team with 14 homers and 46 RBIs, is just 1-for-10 in the series.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Gracenote contributed to this report.)