New York @ Miami preview
Marlins Park
Last Meeting ( Jun 15, 2015 ) NY Yankees 1, Miami 2
Both the Miami Marlins and the New York Yankees will have some familiarity with the opposing starting pitcher when the teams close out the Miami half of a four-game, home-and-home set on Tuesday. Former Marlins right-hander Nathan Eovaldi is scheduled to go for the Yankees while David Phelps starts for Miami against his former team.
Eovaldi and Phelps were part of a five-player trade between the Marlins and the Yankees in the offseason, and both are still settling in for their new clubs. Phelps gets the benefit of facing a New York offense that managed only three hits in a 2-1 loss in the series opener on Monday. The Yankees are slumping with four losses in the last five games and have dropped out of first place in the American League East. The Marlins are winners four of their last five and held opponents to a total of three runs in those four victories.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, YES (New York), FSN Florida (Miami)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH Nathan Eovaldi (5-1, 4.13 ERA) vs. Marlins RH David Phelps (3-3, 4.11)
Eovaldi went 6-14 and led the league in hits allowed with 223 last season for Miami and is still struggling to keep runners off the bases with 88 hits given up in 69 2/3 innings. The Texan scattered three runs and eight hits over seven innings against Washington on Wednesday but did not factor in the decision. Eovaldi is 2-1 with a 4.37 ERA in six road starts for New York.
Phelps bounced back from a horrific outing by holding Colorado to four hits in eight scoreless innings on Thursday. The Notre Dame product snapped a five-start winless streak with that triumph, which came on the heels of a 3 2/3-inning stint at the Rockies in which he was reached for nine runs and 11 hits. Phelps began the season in the bullpen and is 3-3 with a 3.62 ERA since joining the rotation on April 17.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Marlins penciled in July 2 for the return of RHP Jose Fernandez, who is recovering from elbow surgery.
2. New York RHP Ivan Nova (elbow surgery) will make a final rehab start on Friday before rejoining the rotation.
3. Miami 3B Martin Prado (right shoulder sprain) sat out the series opener on Monday and is expected to miss a week.
PREDICTION: Yankees 5, Marlins 4