Marlins at Mets
Having won their first road series since April 21-23, the Miami Marlins will go for a three-game sweep of the New York Mets in Sunday's series finale. The Marlins, who had dropped 14 of 17 games entering the series, followed up Friday's 4-3 victory by swatting four homers - two by Giancarlo Stanton - in Saturday's 9-5 win.
Stanton broke out of a 6-for-44 rut with his two blasts, which measured a combined 877 feet and gave him the major-league lead with 44 RBIs. New York has lost 12 of 19 and its pitching staff is becoming a question mark after giving up at least eight runs for the fifth time in the last 11 games. Shortstop Ruben Tejada notched his second straight two-hit game and drove in three runs Saturday, one shy of his total from his first 20 games of the season. The Mets attempt to avert the sweep by sending Bartolo Colon to the mound to face David Phelps.
TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, FSN Florida (Miami), WPIX (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins RH David Phelps (2-2, 3.56 ERA) vs. Mets RH Bartolo Colon (7-3, 4.82)
Phelps lost his second straight start by giving up four runs, including a pair of homers, over six innings in a 4-2 defeat at Pittsburgh on Monday. He also allowed four runs over five innings versus Arizona in his previous turn, which followed a six-start span in which he went 2-0 and permitted a total of six earned runs. That included a 4-1 loss at New York on April 17 that dropped Phelps to 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA in three career starts versus the Mets.
Colon halted a two-start losing streak last time out by holding Philadelphia to three runs over six innings. Colon was shelled in his previous two starts, giving up 15 runs and 18 hits over 9 1/3 innings. The 42-year-old Dominican, who has surrendered two walks in back-to-back outings after issuing one in his first eight starts, has split a pair of decisions against the Marlins this season and is 4-3 with a 3.42 ERA in seven career starts against them.
WALK-OFFS
1. Marlins SS Adeiny Hechavarria (shoulder) missed Saturday's game and will sit out Sunday as well.
2. Mets 1B Lucas Duda has hit safely in six straight games and knocked in a run in five in a row.
3. Marlins LF Christian Yelich is 10-for-29 during a seven-game hitting streak.