Struggling Marlins Offense Looks To Get Going Against Phillies
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MIAMI (CBSMiami/SportsDirect) – One of the best hitting teams in the National League has been struggling lately.
The Miami Marlins' offense lacked any semblance of bite in the last two games, as the suddenly sputtering club has mustered all of seven singles en route to a pair of shutout losses.
The Marlins will look to flip the switch on Tuesday as they host the second contest of their three-game series against the National League East-rival Philadelphia Phillies.
Tommy Joseph hasn't been shy about showing Miami how it's done this season, as his RBI double in the eighth inning plated Maikel Franco to lift Philadelphia to a 4-0 victory on Monday.
The 25-year-old Joseph, who had two of the Phillies' six hits in the series opener, is 9-for-23 with three homers and four RBIs in six meetings with the Marlins this season.
While Philadelphia has won six of the 11 encounters with Miami, the latter has found itself on the business end of a shutout three times since the All-Star break.
Marcell Ozuna is 1-for-14 in his last four games, but is 3-for-9 with a solo homer in his career versus Tuesday starter Jerad Eickhoff.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, CSN Philadelphia, FSN Florida (Miami)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Jerad Eickhoff (6-11, 3.98 ERA) vs. Marlins RH Tom Koehler (7-8, 4.42)
Eickhoff was battered for the second time in three outings on Thursday as he allowed six runs on nine hits over five innings of a 9-3 setback to Miami.
The 26-year-old owns a 1-2 mark versus the Marlins and has been taken deep three times in as many meetings.
The road hasn't been kind of Eickhoff, who is just 2-6 with a gaudy 5.51 ERA and 1.51 WHIP away from Citizens Bank Park.
Koehler turned in one of his better starts of the season on Thursday, posting his first victory in over a month after allowing just one unearned run on two hits in eight innings of a 9-3 win over Philadelphia.
The 30-year-old did permit two homers for the third time in six contests.
Koehler has pitched well in three meetings with the Phillies this season, yielding one run on two hits of a no-decision on May 7 before taking the loss after issuing five walks along with three runs in seven frames of a 4-2 setback 11 days later.
WALK-OFFS
- Philadelphia 2B Cesar Hernandez is 6-for-13 with four RBIs in his last three games.
- The Marlins are 20-28 versus the NL East.
- Phillies RF Peter Bourjos is 0-for-16 with six strikeouts in his last four contests.
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