Marlins Hope To Avoid Sweep By Giants
MIAMI (AP) -- Inclement weather forced Madison Bumgarner to exit his last outing.
The Miami Marlins can claim responsibility each time they've faced him.
Bumgarner attempts to lead the San Francisco Giants to their longest winning streak since early May on Sunday as he takes aim at his first career victory against the Marlins.
Bumgarner (11-7, 2.73) leads San Francisco in wins, strikeouts (154) and innings (158), while compiling the lowest ERA of any member of the rotation.
The left-hander, named to his first All-Star game last month, has been particularly impressive over his last 11 starts, going 6-3 with a 1.80 ERA - 4-1 with a 1.62 ERA in six road games.
Bumgarner had completed seven innings in 10 straight games before a prolonged rain delay ended that run Tuesday, when he was limited to four innings and allowed one run in a 4-2 loss at Washington.
Miami's retractable roof means Bumgarner won't have to worry about a possibility of rain Sunday interrupting his fourth attempt at his first win over the Marlins. He's 0-2 with a 5.00 ERA in three career starts, and he surrendered five runs in six innings to lose 5-3 in his only appearance at Marlins Park on May 26, 2012.
The Giants, however, have won three in a row there since, including Saturday's 6-4 victory after opening this three-game series with their best offensive display of the season in a 14-10 victory.
They last swept the Marlins on the road from May 4-6, 2010.
Pablo Sandoval may play a key role if San Francisco is to do it again. The third baseman is 8 for 15 with seven RBIs over his last four road games, getting five hits while driving in five runs in this series.
His hustle sparked a four-run fourth Saturday, when he slid into first for a two-out infield single that scored Brandon Belt.
"It worked, hustle," Sandoval said. "That's a good rally for us. You have to play like that no matter what situation. That's the guy that I am, I play hard every day no matter what the situation is."
Belt had his career-high 11-game hitting streak end after going 0 for 2 Saturday, but he walked twice and scored as many times. He's hitting .413 since Aug. 5 with four homers, four doubles and a triple among his 19 hits.
The Marlins, losers in 10 of their last 13 games, will turn to Tom Koehler (3-8, 4.62), who was terrific in his only career start against the Giants on June 20. He yielded one run and three hits in seven innings of a 2-1 road win.
The rookie right-hander enters this matchup as the loser of back-to-back starts, surrendering eight runs in 10 1-3 innings. However, both of those came on the road, and Koehler won his most recent home game in impressive fashion on Aug. 1, scattering five hits in six innings of a 3-0 win over the Mets.
He had been 0-4 with a 5.97 ERA over his first seven games in Miami - five starts.
Giancarlo Stanton homered Saturday for the first time since July 28, and he's 11 for 31 (.355) with three doubles, four homers and nine RBIs in nine career home meetings with the Giants.
He's also pounded Bumgarner, going 6 for 8 with five doubles.
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