Arizona @ Miami preview
Marlins Park
Last Meeting ( Aug 17, 2014 ) Arizona 3, Miami 10
The struggling Miami Marlins will have a new manager when they try to snap a three-game skid Monday in the opener of a four-game series with visiting Arizona. The Marlins reportedly will announce Jeff Conine, who played for the team for eight seasons beginning with the inaugural 1993 campaign, as the successor to Mike Redmond, who was fired Sunday.
Miami was held to two hits — the first of which came with two outs in the ninth — in a 6-0 loss to Atlanta on Sunday and has lost six of its last seven to drop six games below .500. Things haven't been any better in Arizona, as the Diamondbacks have lost four straight and seven of nine. Arizona was swept in three games at Philadelphia over the weekend, including a 6-0 defeat Sunday. Despite both teams' poor play of late, the matchup features two of the league's top young power hitters in Miami's Giancarlo Stanton, who hit three homers in the Atlanta series, and Arizona's Paul Goldschmidt, a career .368 hitter at Marlins Park.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FSN Arizona, FSN Florida (Miami)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Diamondbacks RH Rubby De La Rosa (4-2, 4.50 ERA) vs. Marlins RH Dan Haren (4-2, 3.70)
De La Rosa has won his last two starts and has gone seven innings in two straight and three of his last four outings. The 26-year-old from the Dominican Republic allowed four runs over seven frames to beat Washington on Tuesday after tossing seven scoreless innings in a win over San Diego in his previous outing. De La Rosa is making his first start against the Marlins; he pitched two innings in relief against them as a rookie in 2011 and allowed one run.
Haren was off to a strong start before getting roughed up Tuesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 34-year-old gave up six runs and 11 hits over 4 1/3 innings and took the loss, seeing his ERA rise from 2.68 to 3.70. Haren is 6-2 with a 3.42 ERA in eight games (seven starts) against the Diamondbacks and went 4-1 against them last season.
WALK-OFFS
1. Arizona SS Chris Owings is 13-for-26 during a six-game hitting streak and is 9-for-14 with a pair of doubles versus Haren.
2. Marlins 2B Dee Gordon has hit safely in 12 straight games at Marlins Park, going 28-for-50 over that stretch.
3. Diamondbacks 1B Paul Goldschmidt, who is 5-for-22 over his past seven games, has struggled against Haren, going 3-for-16 with one home run.
PREDICTION: Marlins 5, Diamondbacks 4