Tampa Bay @ Miami preview
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Last Meeting ( Jul 31, 2024 ) Miami 6, Tampa Bay 2
Since April 30, Kyle Schwarber has seven home runs and Aaron Judge has six.
There is only one player in the major leagues who has hit more dingers in that span, and his identity might be a surprise to a lot of baseball fans.
It's Miami left fielder Kyle Stowers, who is expected to be in the lineup on Friday night when the Marlins host the Tampa Bay Rays.
Stowers has eight homers since April 30, including four in his past five games.
It's a shocking development for Stowers, a 27-year-old California native who was the Baltimore Orioles' second-round pick in 2019. He arrived in Miami last July, when the Marlins sent pitcher Trevor Rogers to Baltimore in return for Stowers and infielder Connor Norby.
Stowers said he's "put a lot of work in the cage" in order to improve from his 50-game Marlins 2024 debut, when he hit just .186 with two homers and a .556 OPS.
This year, in 40 games, he is hitting .300 with 10 homers and a .946 OPS.
"Be on time, give myself space, and commit to my plan," Stowers said when asked how he has improved. "I know that sounds simple, but that's the secret sauce."
Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said Stowers is a talented guy playing with a lot of confidence.
"He's using the entire field," McCullough said. "He's getting to fastballs, and he can still handle off-speed pitches."
Friday's pitching matchup will pit Miami's Max Meyer (2-4, 4.37 ERA) against fellow right-hander Taj Bradley (3-2, 4.24) of Tampa Bay. Meyer will be making his first appearance against the Rays. The Marlins are 4-4 this year when he pitches.
Bradley has faced the Marlins just once, going 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA. The Rays are 5-3 when pitching Bradley, who has five quality starts in eight appearances this year.
While the Marlins were off on Thursday, the Rays played in Toronto on Thursday, winning 8-3. The Rays must make the trip from Canada to Miami, but at least they have won two straight series, taking four of six games.
In addition, the Rays got Josh Lowe back on Thursday as he went 3-for-5 with three runs and a solo homer. Lowe, who was used as a designated hitter versus the Jays, hadn't played since suffering an oblique injury on Opening Day. Lowe said it was difficult having to sit out while the Rays have a losing record (20-23).
"That's not fun," Lowe said. "You want to be there with the team. "Hopefully, coming back into the lineup, I can bring some consistency."
Lowe takes the roster spot of outfielder Travis Jankowski, who suffered a groin injury on Wednesday. He was placed on the 10-day IL.
The Rays were without starting DH Yandy Diaz in Toronto due to a passport-renewal issue. However, he is expected to be back on the roster on Friday. Diaz has an .800 career OPS, although that figure is just .691 in 40 games this season.
"I look forward to getting him back in Miami," Rays manager Kevin Cash said.
--Field Level Media