Florida @ Arizona preview
Chase Field
Last Meeting ( Jul 10, 2010 ) Florida 4, Arizona 5
All indications are that the impending All-Star break is more than welcomed by both the Florida Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Neither team is in the upper echelon of the National League. The Marlins are in fourth place in the tough NL East and the Diamondbacks could win 19 straight games and still not reach .500 as they sit in last place in the NL West.
So most of the players – other than those making the trip to Anaheim for Tuesday’s All-Star Game – are one game away from getting a three-day reprieve from the grind.
Before that, however, the teams will close out the four-game series on Sunday. The Diamondbacks have won two of the first three to give interim manager Kirk Gibson a 3-6 record since replacing AJ Hinch on July 2.
Arizona will attempt to win its first series under Gibson as right-hander Barry Enright makes his third start since being called up from Double-A Mobile.
Enright has fared well in splitting his first two starts, going 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA. He needs to pitch deeper into games after going just a total of 10 2/3 innings in his first two outings.
Another solid outing today and the 24-year-old might very well secure himself a rotation spot for the remainder of the season, especially with veteran Kris Benson still dealing with inflammation in his shoulder at Triple-A Reno.
The offense for the Diamondbacks has been a work in progress since Gibson took over, with the lineup card seemingly looking different each game. Shortstop Stephen Drew has batted leadoff, including Saturday’s game in which he reached base four times, and seventh. All-Star center fielder Chris Young has also hit leadoff along with cleanup.
How the lineup sets up for the first-half finale is difficult to say because the Marlins haven’t officially settled on a starter, although most outlets have reliever Alex Sanabia (0-1, 4.32) getting the nod.
The reason for the indecision is the result of right-hander Chris Volstad being sent down to Triple-A New Orleans after his start on Tuesday. He has made 60 starts over the last three seasons so his demotion was a bit of a surprise despite the 4-8 record with a 4.78 ERA.
Not great numbers obviously, but he allowed three earned runs or less in 12 of his 17 starts.
Sanabia has made three appearances in the majors since being called up on June 23. In Double-A, the 21-year-old had a 2.03 ERA in 14 starts.