Crawford Looks To Continue Hit Parade Against Marlins
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Brandon Crawford did his best to give ailing manager Bruce Bochy quite the get-well gift by recording Major League Baseball's first seven-hit performance in 41 years in the series opener.
With Bochy expected to leave the hospital and return to his post in the dugout, Crawford will look to continue the hit parade on Tuesday as the Giants vie for a series victory over the host Miami Marlins.
Crawford collected a triple, a double and five singles, with his last base hit plating Brandon Belt in the 14th inning for an 8-7 victory. The 29-year-old recorded only six hits in his previous 11 games for the slumping Giants, who posted just their sixth win in 22 contests since the All-Star break to maintain a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West.
Miami isn't singing a happy tune, either, with losses in five of its last seven games to find itself tied with St. Louis in the race for the second wild card. Christian Yelich fell a triple shy of the cycle on Monday but improved to 17-for-40 with 12 RBIs and eight runs scored in his last nine games.
PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants Matt Moore (7-7, 4.04 ERA) vs. Marlins Tom Koehler (8-8, 4.05)
Moore appeared to suffer from a massive case of nerves in his first start with his new team. Acquired from Tampa Bay at the trade deadline, the 27-year-old issued six walks in as many innings of a no-decision at Philadelphia on Thursday. Moore owns a 2-0 career record versus Miami but has been taken deep twice among the 15 hits he's allowed in 11 innings en route to a 7.36 ERA at Marlins Park.
Koehler recorded his third straight strong outing on Wednesday as he yielded one run and five hits in six innings of a no-decision versus the Chicago Cubs. The 30-year-old, who was in line for the victory before a leaky bullpen let him down, has allowed two earned runs in his last 20 frames while striking out 17 and issuing just three walks. Koehler looks to continue his strong surge versus San Francisco, against which he is 2-0 with a 1.89 ERA while limiting the club to just a .206 batting average.
WALK-OFFS
1. Miami 2B Dee Gordon is 7-for-19 with six runs scored during his four-game hitting streak.
2. San Francisco C Buster Posey's availability for Tuesday's tilt is in question after he appeared to injure his thumb on an awkward slide into third base in the series opener.
3. Marlins OF Marcell Ozuna is 0-for-14 with five strikeouts in his last three contests.
PREDICTION: Marlins 2, Giants 1
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