Philadelphia @ Miami preview
loanDepot Park
Last Meeting ( Jun 30, 2012 ) Philadelphia 2, Miami 3
The Miami Marlins will vie for a series sweep and their fourth straight victory Sunday when they face the National League East rival Philadelphia Phillies. Giancarlo Stanton homered and drove in a pair of runs in Saturday's 3-2 victory. Stanton has been sizzling at the plate, batting .500 (7-for-14) with a pair of homers in his last four contests.
While Miami is starting to heat up after a miserable June, Philadelphia is simply floundering. Losers of four straight, the Phillies have been comforted by the return of Chase Utley. The five-time All-Star second baseman, who is batting 5-for-13 since he returned from his chronic knee injury, is 10-for-32 in his career against Sunday starter Ricky Nolasco.
TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, WB17 (Philadelphia), FS Florida (Miami)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Joe Blanton (7-6, 4.87 ERA) vs. Marlins RH Ricky Nolasco (6-6, 4.78)
Blanton has certainly been streaky this season. The 31-year-old has won three in a row after a brutal three-game skid - with his last loss coming against Miami on June 3. In that contest, Blanton yielded five runs on nine hits in six innings in a 5-1 setback. Blanton pitched well in his last outing, yielding three runs and matching a season high with eight strikeouts in seven innings in an 8-3 victory over Pittsburgh.
Nolasco is riding a three-game losing skid, but he'll face a team against which he has enjoyed considerable success. The 29-year-old owns a 7-4 mark versus Philadelphia - including a win June 2 in which he yielded four runs in seven innings. In his last trip to the mound, Nolasco allowed one run on four hits in 6 2/3 innings, but settled for a no-decision versus St. Louis on Monday.
WALK-OFFS
1. Philadelphia traded slugger Jim Thome to Baltimore for a pair of minor leaguers - right-hander Kyle Simon and catcher Gabriel Lino. Thome has 609 career homers, tied with Sammy Sosa for seventh place on the career list.
2. Miami right-hander Edward Mujica suffered a fractured right small toe in Friday's 6-2 victory. Mujica expects to be sidelined for two weeks.
3. The Phillies finished June with a paltry 9-19 mark. The performance was their worst month since September 2000, when they finished with a 9-20 record.