Marlins Bat For Second Win In Phillies Series
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Marcell Ozuna has made himself at home at the plate during his career high-tying 16-game hitting streak while the Miami Marlins have enjoyed life on the road with a 13-7 record.
Ozuna and the Marlins look to continue their respective torrid stretches when they visit the National League East-rival Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday in the middle contest of their three-game series.
Ozuna wasted no time extending his streak with a mammoth 447-foot homer as Miami posted its third straight win - a 5-3 triumph in Monday's series opener. The 25-year-old Dominican is 6-for-17 versus the Phillies this season, with two of those hits coming off Tuesday's starter Vince Velasquez.
Philadelphia's Odubel Herrera has feasted on the Marlins of late, collecting three hits on Monday to improve to 13-for-24 in his last seven encounters with the club. The 24-year-old Venezuelan, who has hit safely in 24 of his last 26 contests, was a perfect 3-for-3 when he faced Tuesday's starter Wei-Yin Chen in Miami's 6-4 win on May 6.
PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins Wei-Yin Chen (3-1, 4.40 ERA) vs. Phillies Vince Velasquez (4-1, 2.70)
Chen improved to 3-0 in his last four starts on Wednesday after striking out a career high-tying 12 batters over 6 1/3 innings in a 3-2 victory over Milwaukee. The 30-year-old Taiwan native's performance in that contest was far better than the one he turned in versus Philadelphia five days earlier, as he yielded four runs and a season-high 11 hits in five frames of a no-decision. Chen pitched significantly better in his initial outing against the Phillies, scattering four hits and striking out nine in eight scoreless innings.
Velasquez will see the Marlins for the second time in three turns on Tuesday, having allowed four runs in six innings of a no-decision in the initial outing on May 6. The 23-year-old repeated those numbers on Thursday with the same result against Atlanta. Velasquez has pitched well at Citizens Bank Park, posting a 2-1 record with a 0.93 ERA and 0.72 WHIP while limiting the opposition to a .149 batting average.
WALK-OFFS
1. Phillies rookie LF Tyler Goeddel recorded three hits on Monday and is 7-for-14 with three RBIs and two runs scored in his last four games.
2. Marlins 3B Martin Prado has recorded 15 hits in his last nine contests overall and is 8-for-13 versus the Phillies this season.
3. Philadelphia SS Freddy Galvis is riding a six-game hitting streak.
PREDICTION: Phillies 3, Marlins 2
By SportsDirect Inc.