Marlins Look To Close Out Road Schedule With Win In Colorado
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DENVER (CBSMiami) – The Miami Marlins enter their final road game of the season hoping to continue playing the role of spoiler.
Miami will look to keep the Colorado Rockies from increasing their chances of wrapping up the final NL Wild Card spot when they wrap up a three-game series on Wednesday.
The Rockies currently hold a 1 ½ game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers and a 2 ½ game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals for the second Wild Card.
All three teams won on Tuesday. Colorado has four games remaining on their schedule while the Brewers and Cardinals each have five.
Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton continues to lead the majors with 57 home runs but is running out of time in his bid to reach 60.
Stanton trails Colorado third baseman Nolan Arenado by three RBIs for the NL lead. Arenado widened his lead Tuesday with a two-run homer, his 36th of the year, to bring his RBI total to 129.
GAME INFO: First pitch 3:10 PM, Coors Field
PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins LHP Adam Conley (7-7, 5.74 ERA) vs. Rockies RHP Jon Gray (9-4, 3.62)
It's been a very up-and-down season for Conley but he's hoping to end it on a positive note.
Conley has failed to last five innings in three of the last four starts, none worse than his last time out when he gave up seven runs and six hits over just 1 2/3 innings in Arizona.
It was the second time this season that Conley lasted just 1 2/3 innings in a start, the other coming in a late-April matchup against Pittsburgh.
Colorado has to feel good with Gray on the mound.
He's riding a streak of 12 consecutive starts holding his opponent to three runs or less and has a 1.50 ERA over his last four outings.
Gray is 4-1 with a 2.93 ERA over seven home starts this season.
During his career he's struggled against the Marlins though, holding an 0-2 record with a 7.63 ERA over three starts.
ROUNDING THE BASES
- Miami's one through four hitters have a collective .481 average (13-for-27) with three home runs and seven RBIs against Gray.
- Leadoff hitter Dee Gordon needs eight hits over the Marlins final five games to reach 200 for the second time in his career.
- Conley is 1-1 with a 9.56 ERA over his last four starts.
- The Rockies are 12-7 in games started by Gray.