Marlins Open Phillies Set In Philly
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PHILADELPHIA (CBSMiami) — Jose Fernandez has shown his All-Star form throughout a blistering stretch heading into the Midsummer Classic.
The 23-year-old ace looks to continue his impressive display on Monday as the Miami Marlins open a four-game series at the Philadelphia Phillies, who were held to just one hit in their last outing.
Fernandez owns an 8-2 mark with a 1.71 ERA in his last 11 starts, and that includes a clunker when he was blitzed for nine runs (six earned) in 5 2/3 innings against Atlanta on July 2. Home Run Derby champion Giancarlo Stanton has gone deep on one occasion versus Philadelphia this season, but it's his only hit to go along with 12 strikeouts in 18 at-bats.
While the Marlins won two of three versus St. Louis over the weekend to improve to 5-1 in their last six, the Phillies barely made a dent against New York Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom in a 5-0 setback on Sunday. All-Star Odubel Herrera went 1-for-12 in the series versus the Mets, but is 8-for-22 versus Miami this season.
PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins Jose Fernandez (11-4, 2.52 ERA) vs. Phillies Aaron Nola (5-8, 4.69)
Fernandez answered his rare clunker with a strong seven-inning outing versus Cincinnati on July 8, although his All-Star Game performance left a bit to be desired. The Cuban is striking out batters at an alarming rate with 107 coming in his last 11 starts (73 2/3 innings). Fernandez has split a pair of career decisions versus Philadelphia, but did not face the Phillies when the teams tangled in a pair of three-game series in May.
While Fernandez entered the All-Star break on a tear, Nola limped into it with a gaudy 0-4 mark and 13.50 ERA in his last five starts. The 23-year-old saw his most-recent scheduled start skipped in favor of getting his mind back on track after allowing 27 earned runs in his last 18 innings.
"My body's healthy, I don't really think it's a mental break," Nola told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "Mentally, I feel fine. I just felt like the past month, I struggled."
WALK-OFFS
1. Miami LF Christian Yelich is 7-for-16 with four RBIs and two runs scored in his last four contests.
2. Phillies SS Freddy Galvis is just 1-for-11 in his last three contests after recording five straight multi-hit performances heading into the All-Star break.
3. Marlins OF Ichiro Suzuki resides six hits shy of 3,000 for his major-league career after a 3-for-4 effort on Sunday.
PREDICTION: Marlins 4, Phillies 0
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