Marlins To Close Out Rockies Series Sunday
DENVER (AP) - Sunday will mark the final game in Colorado this season for Giancarlo Stanton and the Miami Marlins.
The Rockies certainly won't be sad to see Stanton go.
Stanton, who has homered in all six games he's ever played in Colorado, will try to extend the streak and help the Marlins close their four-game series against the Rockies with a third consecutive win.
While both Miami (55-66) and Colorado (45-73) are well out of the playoff chase, Stanton's at-bats have become must-see viewing this weekend.
After hitting a game-tying, 474-foot homer in Friday's 6-5 victory, he delivered a 448-foot, three-run shot in the first inning Saturday as the Marlins went on to win by the same score.
Stanton is the first player in major league history to homer in his first six games at a visiting ballpark.
"That's pretty cool," Stanton said. "Anytime you do something no one's ever done in the big leagues it's something pretty cool."
The Marlins, who have won four of six this season against the Rockies, will now try to win three in a row overall for the first time since July 4-6. With Stanton at the plate and Josh Johnson (7-9, 3.73 ERA) on the mound, Miami has to like its chances.
Johnson has a 1.60 ERA over his last five starts, though he only has a 2-2 record to show for it due largely to a 2.1 run-support average in those outings. The right-hander gave up only three hits in eight innings against Philadelphia on Tuesday, but one of those hits was a Jimmy Rollins solo home run in the Marlins' 1-0 loss.
"My job is to go out there and put up zero," Johnson said. "I gave up one, so it's my fault."
Johnson is 2-0 with a 1.26 ERA in four career starts against the Rockies, allowing one run in each. He's also faced them once as a reliever.
Colorado scored four runs over the final two innings Saturday - two on a single by Tyler Colvin with two outs in the ninth - but the rally came up short. Colvin, who finished 3 for 5 with three RBIs, is hitting .400 (12 for 30) with three doubles and eight RBIs in his last eight games.
Colorado sends Drew Pomeranz (1-7, 5.04) to the mound for the series finale
Pomeranz is 0-4 with a 7.82 ERA over his last six starts, but will be coming off extra rest. The left-hander last pitched Aug. 11, when he allowed four runs and six hits in four innings of a 9-3 loss to San Francisco. His scheduled start has been pushed back from Wednesday because of soreness in a chest muscle.
"When I try to throw max effort, it bothers me," Pomeranz, who hasn't won since July 6, told the Rockies' official website. "I could go out there and pitch not at my best, back off a little bit, but what's the point? ... Of course, it helps to keep my innings at whatever innings limit the have for me."
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