Marlins Hope To Avoid Sweep Against First Place Brewers
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MILWAUKEE (CBSMiami/Gracenote) – The Miami Marlins will have their hands full as they try to avoid a weekend sweep.
The rest of the National League Central keeps waiting for the Milwaukee Brewers to fall off the pace, but they are not being very cooperative.
The Brewers will try to lock up their fourth straight win and increase their lead in the Central when they host the Marlins in the finale of a three-game set on Sunday.
Milwaukee owns one of the more powerful offenses in the league and showed off with a pair of home runs in Saturday's 8-4 triumph while increasing their lead in the NL Central to three games.
"I know we are a long (way) from the season being over, so we just have to go out there and just play and try to win ballgames every day," Domingo Santana, who hit his 14th homer during a seven-run rally in the second inning, told reporters. "I think we're going to be where we want to be at the end of the season if we keep doing what we've been doing."
The Marlins are having trouble finding their own offense and are averaging 2.3 runs during a four-game slide. Miami will try to turn things around on Sunday against Brewers right-hander Junior Guerra, who opposes Dan Straily.
TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, FSN Florida (Miami), FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins RH Dan Straily (5-4, 3.44 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Junior Guerra (1-2, 4.54)
Straily surrendered a total of three runs in 17 1/3 innings over his last three starts but owns just one win in that span.
The California native owns 90 strikeouts in 89 innings over 16 starts in 2017 and is holding opposing batters to a .214 average.
Straily faced Milwaukee four times in 2016 and went 3-0 with a 1.67 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 27 innings.
Guerra allowed three or fewer earned runs in six straight starts after rejoining the team at the end of May but had that streak come to an end at Cincinnati on Tuesday.
The Venezuela native was lit up for eight runs on eight hits and three walks over four innings by the Reds while surrendering four home runs. Guerra is making his first career appearance against Miami.
WALK-OFFS
- Brewers OF Ryan Braun (calf) hit safely in all four games since coming off the disabled list with four extra-base hits, including a pair of home runs.
- Miami OF Marcell Ozuna is 4-for-27 over his last eight games.
- Milwaukee rookie LHP Josh Hader has yet to allow a run in seven appearances
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)