The Miami Marlins will bid to win their third consecutive series on Wednesday afternoon when they play the decisive game of a three-game set against the host Kansas City Royals.
The Marlins took two of three games from both the St. Louis Cardinals and Seattle Mariners before evening their three-game series at one victory apiece with a 2-1 win over the Royals on Tuesday.
Miami’s Otto Lopez recorded his second straight two-hit performance and scored on Nick Gordon’s infield single in the seventh inning. Gordon scored the go-ahead run later in the inning following a throwing error by Royals reliever Will Smith.
“We put the ball in play and were fortunate on a couple of those plays,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “There’s value in putting the ball in play. … It wasn’t a ton of hard contact, but a win’s a win.”
Gordon has hit safely in four consecutive games and in six of his past seven.
While Miami snapped a season-high, six-game road skid with its fifth victory in its past seven games overall, Kansas City has fallen on hard times, dropping 12 of its past 16 contests.
“We were just bad (Tuesday). It seems to be a common theme over the past few weeks,” said Vinnie Pasquantino, who followed up his solo homer in the Royals’ 4-1 win over the Marlins on Monday with an RBI single on Tuesday.
The Royals mustered just four hits on Tuesday, struck out nine times and went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
Miami is expected to call up Valente Bellozo from Triple-A Jacksonville for his major league debut on Wednesday. He will provide the opposition for Kansas City’s Brady Singer (4-4, 3.29 ERA) in a battle of right-handers.
The Marlins’ depleted rotation hopes to receive a boost with the promotion of Bellozo, although he has struggled during his time with the Jumbo Shrimp. The 24-year-old is 1-2 with a 5.66 ERA in five appearances (four starts) for Jacksonville.
“I think you try to study a little a bit more,” Pasquantino said of his approach to facing a player making his major league debut. “I haven’t seen his arm. Who’s he like? What similarities are there? Who’s catching, that matters too because has he worked with that guy before? Who’s calling pitches? Things like that. …
“Debuts are interesting from both offensive and the pitching side.”
Singer saw his winless streak extend to five starts on Friday despite allowing one run on three hits in five innings of a no-decision against the Texas Rangers. The 27-year-old worked out of a bases-loaded jam with one out in the fourth inning.
“Felt good. Struggled there in the fourth, threw a lot of pitches and kind of drove my pitch count up,” Singer said. “Driving that pitch count up kind of took away from getting deep in the outing.”
Singer will be facing the Marlins for the first time in his career. He owns a 9-5 record with a 3.73 ERA in 18 career interleague starts.
–Field Level Media
