Marlins at Rockies
The Colorado Rockies opened the month by losing eight of their first 10 games but have climbed back to .500 with four straight wins. Nolan Arenado has homered in each contest during the winning streak for the resurgent Rockies, who continue their three-game series against the visiting Miami Marlins on Saturday afternoon.
Arenado went 3-for-4 with a two-run blast in Friday’s 11-3 win and is batting .455 with five homers and 16 RBIs in his last eight games. Tom Murphy continued to provide an offensive boost at the catcher position with three hits and two RBIs while Ian Desmond reached base safely three times for the third straight game. The Marlins fell to 3-4 on their nine-game road trip despite three hits from leadoff batter Derek Dietrich, who has posted a .386 average over his last 20 contests. Miami continues to exercise patience with Lewis Brinson, who has recorded four multi-hit performances in his last 10 games but is hitting .179 after going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Friday.
TV: 3:10 p.m. ET, FS Florida (Miami), AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain (Colorado)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins RH Trevor Richards (1-4, 5.45 ERA) vs. Rockies LH Tyler Anderson (4-2, 4.52)
Richards was unphased after allowing six runs and nine hits over 3 1/3 innings in a 10-4 loss to Baltimore on Sunday. “You've just got to roll with the punches,” he told reporters. “No matter how the outing goes, good or bad, tomorrow you start over. You do the same routine and get ready for the next one.” The 25-year-old rookie has struggled with control issues in his first eight starts, issuing 18 walks over 38 innings.
Anderson was victimized by the long ball again on Monday, allowing three runs on three hits - two homers - over 5 1/3 innings in a 12-2 loss to the New York Mets. The 28-year-old native of Las Vegas has served up a total of eight home runs over 33 1/3 frames in his six starts at Coors Field this season. Anderson is 1-1 with a sterling 1.29 ERA in three career starts versus Miami, including an outing in which he tossed seven scoreless innings at Marlins Park on Sept. 26, 2017.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Rockies are averaging 7.8 runs over their last five games.
2. Miami activated Nick Wittgren and placed fellow RHP Jose Urena on the 10-day disabled list with a right shoulder impingement.
3. Colorado OF Carlos Gonzalez is 9-for-25 during his six-game hitting streak.