Streaking Marlins Go For Series Sweep Over Philadelphia
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MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) – The Miami Marlins are doing a good job proving that their 3-11 start to the season was nothing more than a stumble out of the gate.
While Dee Gordon isn't showing any signs of cooling off at the plate, the Marlins continue to get outstanding performances on the mound during their climb back to .500.
Now the red-hot second baseman will try to help the host Marlins to their fifth straight win Sunday when they give the ball to Jarred Cosart, who began their turnaround against the Philadelphia Phillies.
After being named to his first All-Star Game in 2014, Gordon appears to be headed for a return trip after he had three hits, stole two bases and reached base five times in Saturday's 7-0 victory.
The son of former major league closer Tom "Flash" Gordon, Dee Gordon leads the majors with a .440 average and is 16 for 23 (.696) during a stretch of six straight multi-hit games.
"He's doing everything," manager Mike Redmond said. "He's getting big hits, driving in runs, playing great defense."
Martin Prado chipped in by going 2 for 3 with a home run and four RBIs Saturday, while Marcell Ozuna has gone 6 for 9 in this series and is batting .396 over a 14-game hitting streak versus Philadelphia.
Miami's rotation also has keyed its 9-1 stretch, limiting opponents to three runs or less in every outing. Cosart started the trend for the Marlins (12-12) on April 22 when he allowed one run over six innings in a 6-1 win at Philadelphia.
The right-hander followed that effort by holding the New York Mets to two hits over eight scoreless innings before the bullpen blew his lead in Monday's 3-1 home loss - the club's only defeat since starting 3-11.
"We've been on a nice run," Redmond said. "You give all those guys in that room the credit. They've gone out there and grinded it out together and put a nice streak together. We're playing good baseball."
Cosart (1-1, 2.49 ERA) has been at his best in Miami, going 2-2 with a 1.76 ERA over his last six starts there. In his only career start versus Philadelphia last month, Cody Asche's solo homer accounted for the only run.
The Phillies (8-17) have dropped five straight games and rank last in the NL with an average of 2.6 runs. They've also lost 11 of 13 on the road during their worst start since opening 8-18 in 2002.
Batting 3-4-5 in the lineup, Chase Utley (.115), Ryan Howard (.177) and Grady Sizemore (.167) went 1 for 12 on Saturday.
Philadelphia may need to break through at the plate to help Severino Gonzalez (0-1, 23.63) regroup following a rocky major league debut. He allowed seven runs and 10 hits over 2 2-3 innings in Tuesday's 11-5 loss at St. Louis.
The right-hander and catcher Carlos Ruiz became the first Panamanian-born battery to start a game in league history.
"It was an experience for him," manager Ryne Sandberg told MLB's official website. "I'm sure that he'd like to make some adjustments the next time out."
It isn't likely to get easier for Gonzalez facing a Miami team hitting .322 and averaging 5.4 runs in its past nine games.
The Marlins haven't swept three straight at home versus Philadelphia since June 29-July 1, 2012.
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