Pittsburgh @ Miami preview

Last Meeting ( May 27, 2015 ) Miami 2, Pittsburgh 5

Jung Ho Kang looks to duplicate a productive series when his Pittsburgh Pirates visit the Miami Marlins on Monday for the first of four contests. Kang, one of many hot hitters for the Pirates, went 6-for-14 with two homers and five RBIs as Pittsburgh took three of four from San Francisco to remain 3 1/2 games behind first-place St. Louis in the National League Central.

Starling Marte owns an eight-game hitting streak, Andrew McCutchen boasts multiple hits in four of the last six games and Gregory Polanco is batting .330 in August for the Pirates. The Marlins managed only three runs in their last three games - all losses - to drop into a tie with Philadelphia for the second-worst record in the majors (50-74). Tom Koehler looks to snap a five-game losing streak on the mound for Miami and J.A. Happ attempts to follow up a dazzling effort for Pittsburgh. Happ must contain Dee Gordon, who is 14-for-32 in his last eight games and leads the majors with a .335 batting average.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, ROOT (Pittsburgh), FSN Florida (Miami)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates LH J.A. Happ (5-7, 4.42 ERA) vs. Marlins RH Tom Koehler (8-11, 4.02)

Happ won his first game with the Pirates last time out against Arizona, allowing only two hits over six scoreless innings of a 4-1 victory. The 32-year-old has yielded five runs in 15 2/3 frames during three starts for Pittsburgh after posting a 4.64 ERA in 21 appearances with Seattle. Ichiro Suzuki is 4-for-7 with two doubles versus Happ, who is 2-2 with a 4.54 ERA in nine career outings (six starts) against the Marlins.

Koehler has permitted 24 runs (23 earned) over 27 2/3 innings combined during his losing streak and stands 1-7 since July 8. The Stony Brook product walked 15 in his last six starts and has been better at home (4-3, 3.07 ERA) than on the road (4-8, 4.73). McCutchen is 2-for-4 with a home run against Koehler, who has struggled against the Pirates with a 0-3 record and 6.75 ERA in three lifetime outings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Miami OF Marcell Ozuna is 6-for-31 with a pair of homers in nine games since being recalled from Triple-A New Orleans.

2. Pittsburgh SS Jordy Mercer returned from the disabled list Sunday and went 0-for-1 off the bench.

3. The Marlins are 10-15 against NL Central foes and the Pirates have won 21 of 29 contests versus the NL East.

PREDICTION: Pirates 6, Marlins 4