Phillies at Marlins
Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich are having a fun time testing the limits of the park, and the Miami Marlins are benefiting from the power display. The white-hot Marlins vie for their fifth straight victory and 12th in 13 outings on Saturday when they continue their three-game series versus the visiting Philadelphia Phillies.
Stanton belted a mammoth two-run shot that traveled a staggering 475 feet in Friday's 6-4 triumph for his seventh homer in 11 games while raising his RBI total to 14 in that stretch. Yelich also went deep for the third time in his four-game hitting streak, during which he has seven RBIs and five runs scored. While homer-happy Miami has 19 blasts in the last 12 contests, Philadelphia has cooled considerably by losing three in a row after winning 10 of its previous 12. Maikel Franco is showing signs of possibly breaking out of his pronounced funk, homering among his two hits in the series opener following a 1-for-17 slump.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, CSN Philadelphia, FSN Florida (Miami)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Jeremy Hellickson (2-2, 4.88 ERA) vs. Marlins RH Tom Koehler (2-3, 7.25)
Hellickson allowed six runs for the second time in four starts on Monday and issued a season-high four walks in a 10-3 setback at St. Louis. The 29-year-old was taken deep on three occasions versus the Cardinals and seven times in his last 25 1/3 innings after permitting 22 in 27 starts with Arizona in 2015. That's a troubling trend for Hellickson, who has been taken deep by Stanton on one occasion in four career at-bats.
Koehler saw his modest two-game winning streak snapped in emphatic fashion on Sunday, allowing eight runs on as many hits in 2 1/3 innings of a 14-5 loss to Milwaukee. The 29-year-old didn't strike out a batter during his short stint, but has fanned 46 in 11 career appearances (53 2/3 innings) versus Philadelphia. Leadoff batter Odubel Herrera, who is 3-for-8 in his career versus Koehler, had three singles in the series opener to improve to 9-for-20 during his five-game hitting streak.
WALK-OFFS
1. Miami CF Marcell Ozuna has collected two singles in each of his last three contests and is 10-for-26 with six runs scored during his six-game hitting streak.
2. Philadelphia SS Freddy Galvis has eight hits and six RBIs in his last seven games.
3. The Marlins also won 11 of 12 during the 2009 season.