Marlins Face Off Against Brewers Sunday
MIAMI (AP) -- Randy Wolf and Jimmy Nelson will be making their first starts of the season Sunday due to injuries in their teams' rotations.
Nelson might be more eager to leave an impression, considering it could be his last major league appearance for the time being.
The Milwaukee Brewers give the ball to Nelson opposite Wolf and the host Miami Marlins to close out this three-game series.
Nelson will be recalled from Triple-A to fill in for Yovani Gallardo, who is nursing a sprained ankle. Gallardo isn't expected to be placed on the disabled list, so Nelson - one of the organization's top prospects - will likely be sent back to Nashville afterward.
A second-round selection in the 2010 draft, Nelson posted a 0.90 ERA in four appearances for the Brewers (29-21) in September. He didn't receive a decision in his lone start, yielding a run and a hit while walking three over five innings of a 4-2 road win against the New York Mets on Sept. 28.
"I'm just trying to think about (Sunday) really," Nelson, 5-1 with a 1.71 ERA in nine starts for the Sounds this season, told the Brewers' official website. "I'm not really trying to focus on if it's one or multiple (starts). Just take care of the start (Sunday)."
Wolf (0-0, 1.80) takes the mound to face one of his six previous clubs. The Marlins (26-24) signed him May 14 to help bolster the rotation after learning Jose Fernandez would need season-ending elbow surgery.
Wolf has allowed one run over five innings in two relief appearances for Miami - his first action since his second Tommy John surgery following the 2012 season.
Sunday marks his first start since Sept. 22, 2012, with Baltimore. He is aiming for his 133rd career win, which would tie him with Jake Peavy for 13th place among active players.
Wolf was 5-1 with a 4.50 ERA in six starts for Arizona's Triple-A affiliate earlier this season.
"I've felt I've gotten a lot stronger with each start before I got here. That, to me, is a big thing," he told the Marlins' official website. "I feel like if I'm healthy, I've got a good chance to help the team win."
The left-hander has gone 5-4 with a 4.40 ERA in 16 starts against the Brewers, with whom he went 29-32 with a 4.37 ERA in 92 games from 2010-12.
Milwaukee has dropped six of eight following Saturday's 2-1 defeat as the teams combined for just five extra-base hits after totaling 12 - including seven homers - in the Brewers' 9-5 win Friday. Jeff Baker singled in the deciding run for Miami as a pinch-hitter in the seventh Saturday.
Ryan Braun was 1 for 4 after missing Friday's game with tightness in his right side. He failed to score in the sixth on Mark Reynolds' single as Carlos Gomez was thrown out going from first to third before Braun crossed the plate, ending the inning.
Gomez has gone 9 for 14 over his last three contests.
Jonathan Lucroy doubled in Milwaukee's only run, his sixth double during a six-game hitting streak in which he's 11 for 23.
Giancarlo Stanton was 0 for 3 with three strikeouts after homering twice Friday.
Mark Reynolds is 6 for 17 during a four-game hitting streak but 5 for 25 with nine strikeouts against Wolf.
The Marlins have won 14 of 17 at home.
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