Marlins Face Rockies In Series Finale
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MIAMI (AP) – If ever there were an ideal time for Kyle Kendrick to reverse his fortunes at Coors Field, this would be it.
After the Colorado Rockies' offense got back on track to even the series, Kendrick will try to continue his dominance of Giancarlo Stanton and the Miami Marlins on Sunday.
Colorado has reached double-digit hits in five straight games, though it only managed two runs in Friday's series-opening defeat. The club bounced back Saturday, finishing with a season-high 17 hits in a 10-5 victory.
Charlie Blackmon and DJ LeMahieu had three hits apiece, while Wilin Rosario went 3 for 5 with two home runs for his first multi-homer game since May 2012. Carlos Gonzalez was 2 for 4 with a three-run shot.
Troy Tulowitzki is expected back after resting Saturday. The All-Star shortstop is 13 for 24 with four homers over his last six and 7 for 15 in his past four versus Miami.
"Jumping right out of the gate, it was important," Gonzalez said. "This is how this team is built, and we know we can produce a lot of runs when everybody is doing their part. The good thing is Tulo, myself, we're showing some life. We're getting good at-bats and we're starting to produce again, and that's really good for the Rockies."
Now Kendrick (2-7, 6.55 ERA) will try to help the Rockies (25-29) move above .500 through the first seven of this 10-game homestand. However, he's allowed 15 home runs and owns baseball's second-highest ERA.
The 30-year-old has taken a beating at Coors, going 0-3 with a 7.99 ERA while allowing eight homers in four starts. He yielded five earned runs and 10 hits over 5 1-3 innings in Monday's 11-4 home loss to the Dodgers.
"It's baseball," Kendrick told MLB's official website. "It's frustrating."
Kendrick will have to be careful with Stanton as he tries to continue his run of success against the Marlins. Stanton had homered in three straight games before going 1 for 5 with four strikeouts Saturday.
The slugging right fielder is hitting .393 with five doubles and seven RBIs in his last six games at Coors, but he's just 3 for 26 with eight strikeouts against Kendrick.
Kendrick is 13-3 with a 3.33 ERA in 21 career starts versus Miami - easily his best record versus any opponent. He's only lost once over his last 16 starts against the Marlins dating to his time with Philadelphia.
Christian Yelich is 6 for 15 against him and Martin Prado is 10 for 26 with one home run, though Adeiny Hechavarria, Dee Gordon and Justin Bour are a combined 4 for 29.
Marcell Ozuna is batting .407 over a seven-game hitting streak after finishing with three hits Saturday.
The Marlins (23-33) have totaled just one run of support for Jose Urena (0-2, 7.24) in his first two starts. The rookie right-hander gave up three runs and four hits over six innings in Monday's 5-1 home loss to the Cubs after allowing five runs and 10 hits over 4 2-3 in a 5-1 loss at Pittsburgh on May 26.
"I thought that was a big step forward for him," manager Dan Jennings said. "He's a gutsy kid. He competes. He challenges the hitters. He's going to have a nice future, nice career."
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