San Francisco @ Miami preview

Last Meeting ( May 18, 2014 ) Miami 1, San Francisco 4

The San Francisco Giants snapped out of a downward spiral before the All-Star break and look to continue the turnaround when they begin a seven-game road trip at the Miami Marlins on Friday. The Giants, who have scored fewer than two runs nine times over their last 20 contests (7-13), triumphed in five of their last nine and stand one game behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West. Miami comes in with four straight losses and is 10-20 in its last 30 contests.

Giancarlo Stanton, who leads the NL in RBIs (63) and is tied for the top spot in home runs (21), tries to lead the Marlins out of their own offensive doldrums. Miami, which split four games at San Francisco in mid-May, has produced only 12 runs in its last six games. Second baseman Marco Scutaro (back), the 2012 NL Championship Series MVP, made his season debut last week and could help boost the Giants’ offense.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, CSN Bay Area (San Francisco), FSN Florida (Miami)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants LH Madison Bumgarner (10-7, 3.47 ERA) vs. Marlins RH Nathan Eovaldi (5-4, 3.61)

Bumgarner snapped a three-game losing streak his last time out despite allowing four runs and 10 hits over 6 1/3 innings against Arizona. The 6-5 North Carolina native has recorded only two wins in seven starts since June 5 – both against the struggling Diamondbacks – but has registered 128 strikeouts in 127 innings this season. Stanton is 7-for-11 against Bumgarner, who is 0-2 with a 5.09 ERA in four career starts versus Miami.

Eovaldi has notched only one victory in his last eight starts but yielded only one run and four hits in seven innings at Arizona in his last outing without receiving a decision. The 24-year-old Houston native is 1-3 with a 12.27 ERA in his career against San Francisco, including a 6-4 loss on May 15. Pablo Sandoval (6-for-8, six RBIs) and Hunter Pence (5-for-10, five RBIs) have had considerable success against Eovaldi

WALK-OFFS

1. Miami 3B Casey McGehee (115) is tied for first place in the NL in hits while Pence (113) is tied for third.

2. San Francisco 1B Brandon Belt (stiff back) could return to the lineup after missing the final game before the All-Star break on Sunday.

3. Marlins LF Christian Yelich brings a 10-game hitting streak into the series while CF Marcell Ozuna has hit safely in 17 of his last 18 contests.

PREDICTION: Marlins 5, Giants 3