Locke Searches For First Win As Marlins Open Four-Game Set In St. Louis
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ST. LOUIS (CBSMiami) – The Miami Marlins continue their holiday road trip this week in one of the best baseball towns in the majors.
Miami salvaged a win on Sunday to avoid a sweep at the hands of NL Central leading Milwaukee and now open a four-game set against the St. Louis Cardinals.
St. Louis had won six of their last seven before running into Cy Young candidate Max Scherzer on Sunday.
The Cardinals managed no runs and two hits while striking out 12 times during Scherzer's seven innings, dropping a 7-2 affair to the NL East leading Nationals.
When the Marlins and Cardinals last met back in early May, the teams were heading in very opposite directions.
St. Louis swept the series at Marlins Park to move into first place in the Central while Miami was still a few weeks away from turning their season around.
After dropping as low as 13 games below .500 in late May, the Marlins had trimmed that number down to five before losing four straight last week.
They were outscored 25-9 during that skid but busted out with a 10 run, 17 hit affair on Sunday.
GAME INFO: First pitch 7:15 ET, Busch Stadium
PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins LHP Jeff Locke (0-4, 5.52 ERA) vs. Cardinals RHP Adam Wainwright (8-5, 5.17)
Locke is winless in six starts with the Marlins, all of which turned into losses for the ballclub. He has given up no more than three earned runs in five of his six starts.
Locke has yet to pitch more than 5 2/3 innings in any outing but has been plagued by poor run support.
The Marlins have scored two runs or fewer in five of Locke's six starts.
Wainwright is working through a very up-and-down season but may have turned a corner.
He has thrown two straight quality starts, winning one, after a stretch in which he gave up 20 runs in just 10 1/3 innings.
Wainwright says that adjustments to his mechanics, as well as changes to his routine between starts, has attributed to his resurgence.
ROUNDING THE BASES
- Marlins left fielder Marcell Ozuna was voted a National League starter in the All-Star Game and right fielder Giancarlo Stanton was named a reserve. First baseman Justin Bour is one of the finalists for the All-Star Game Final Vote.
- Ozuna cracked two homers on Sunday, bringing his season total to 22. That is one short of his career high, which was set in 2014 and matched last year.
- St. Louis' All-Star representatives will be catcher Yadier Molina and starting pitcher Carlos Martinez.
- Wainwright is 5-2 in his career against Miami, with a shiny 2.37 ERA. He threw a complete game, three hit shutout last July against the Marlins at Busch Stadium.
