Citrus Series Between Marlins And Rays Shifts To Tampa
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TAMPA BAY (CBSMiami/SportsDirect) – The two Florida baseball teams that are separated by just a few hundred miles have played a couple of tightly contested games this week.
With each team squeezing out a one-run decision to open the Citrus Series, the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays take their rivalry to Tropicana Field to begin a two-game set on Wednesday.
Tampa Bay rebounded from a 7-6 setback in the opener and snapped a three-game skid on Tuesday afternoon as former Marlin Logan Morrison collected three hits in a 4-3 triumph.
Drafted by then-Florida in 2005, Morrison is starting to heat up after an ice-cold start, going 12-for-23 (.522) with two homers, seven RBIs and as many runs scored in his last eight games to raise his average from .119 to .206.
While the Rays finished an eight-game road trip with a 5-3 mark, the Marlins have dropped five of seven entering the opener of a brief five-game road trip.
Marcell Ozuna doubled twice on Tuesday afternoon to extend his stretch of reaching base to a majors-best 31 consecutive contests.
Fellow outfielder Giancarlo Stanton continues to shown signs of crawling out of his pronounced slump by belting a solo homer on Tuesday for his second blast in 17 games.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FSN Florida (Miami), SUN (Tampa Bay)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins LH Justin Nicolino (2-2, 4.30 ERA) vs. Rays RH Matt Andriese (3-0, 2.11)
Nicolino yielded a pair of homers in the second inning of Friday's loss to Washington after being taken deep on just one occasion in his initial 25 innings this season.
The 24-year-old Florida native did not walk a batter after issuing five free passes in his previous start and 11 in his initial four outings.
Nicolino has permitted four runs in three of his last four contests after scattering two hits over seven scoreless innings in a 2-0 triumph versus the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 27.
Andriese has hit the ground running after being recalled from Triple-A Durham, posting his third win in as many starts on Friday.
The 26-year-old wasn't particularly sharp, however, as he yielded four runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings of a 7-5 victory over Detroit.
Andriese will be making his first career start versus Miami, although he recorded a scoreless inning of relief against the Marlins in his major-league debut on April 10, 2015.
WALK-OFFS
- Tampa Bay 3B Evan Longoria was riding an 11-game hitting streak before going 0-for-8 with three strikeouts in the first two contests of this series.
- Marlins manager Don Mattingly told the Miami Herald on Tuesday that OF Christian Yelich (back) is day-to-day after missing his fourth straight game.
- The Rays' bullpen has yielded at least one run in 10 of its last 11 outings.
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