Marlins Turn To Urena While Looking For Third Straight Win
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MIAMI (CBSMiami/SportsDirect) – Nothing good comes easy, just ask sports teams fighting to make the playoffs.
Life after Giancarlo Stanton has been good to the Miami Marlins so far, with back-to-back wins moving them back into a tie for the second National League wild card.
The Marlins will try to make it three in a row without their star slugger when they visit the Cincinnati Reds in the second of a four-game series on Tuesday.
Stanton was likely lost for the season when he suffered a Grade 3 groin strain on the final play of a loss on Saturday, but Miami moved on quickly with Ichiro Suzuki taking over in right field and Marcell Ozuna dropping into the No. 4 spot in the batting order.
Ozuna bashed his 20th home run in Monday's 6-3 victory after Suzuki drove in a run and scored another when the Marlins finished their homestand with a 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday.
The Reds are dealing with their own injury to a key outfielder as center fielder Billy Hamilton had to be removed from Monday's loss with a bruised knee.
The major's stolen base leader could not quite track down Martin Prado's fly ball in the third inning and ran into the wall as Cincinnati suffered its second straight loss.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FSN Florida (Miami), FSN Ohio (Cincinnati)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins RH Jose Urena (1-3, 6.69 ERA) vs. Reds RH Anthony DeSclafani (6-1, 3.11)
Urena is getting another shot in the rotation due to an injury to Adam Conley (finger) after mixed success in his last stint in the majors.
The Dominican Republic native was shipped back to Triple-A New Orleans after getting knocked around for eight runs on as many hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings against St. Louis on July 29.
Urena tossed five scoreless innings in each of his last two minor-league starts and was sharp in two outings in the majors before being slammed by the Cardinals.
DeSclafani is coming off his first loss of the season after surrendering three runs on six hits – two homers – at St. Louis on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old allowed three or fewer earned runs in 11 of his 12 starts but has not gone beyond the sixth inning in any of his last four outings.
DeSclafani is seeing Miami -- his former team -- for the second time in his career and is 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA in four starts at home this season.
WALK-OFFS
- Reds 1B Joey Votto is batting .455 in 28 games since the All-Star break.
- Marlins 2B Dee Gordon recorded multiple hits in four of his last seven games.
- Miami RHP A.J. Ramos (fractured finger) could throw a bullpen session on Tuesday.
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