Phillies Play For Split In Marlins Match Up
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PHILADELPHIA (CBSMiami) - The Philadelphia Phillies have been a tough match up for National League East rival Miami and will look to earn a split of their four-game set with the visiting Marlins in Thursday's series finale. The Phillies rebounded from a pair of extra-inning defeats with a 4-1 victory on Wednesday to improve to 5-4 against Miami.
Philadelphia's starting pitching has been masterful in the series, limiting the Marlins to two runs and 10 hits over 21 innings. Tyler Goeddel homered and collected a career-high three RBIs on Wednesday, matching his total from the previous 25 games. Slugger Giancarlo Stanton is among the struggling Miami hitters, going 1-for-12 in the series and 2-for-30 with 14 strikeouts against the Phillies this season. Struggling right-hander Tom Koehler will wrap up the seven-game road trip for the Marlins when he opposes Philadelphia's Jerad Eickhoff.
PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins RH Tom Koehler (6-8, 4.68 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Jerad Eickhoff (6-10, 3.76)
Koehler could be pitching himself out of the rotation after giving up four runs and seven hits while failing to get through four innings for the third time in four starts last time out at St. Louis. Winless since June 19, Koehler is 0-2 over his last five turns, giving up 18 runs and 36 hits over 24 frames. He is 0-1 in two starts versus the Phillies this season despite yielding three earned runs in 14 innings.
Eickhoff has turned around his season after losing eight of his first 10 decisions, going 4-2 over his last eight starts and giving up two runs or fewer on six occasions. He rebounded from an ugly loss at Colorado with six frames of two-run ball in a no-decision against the New York Mets on Saturday. Eickhoff was on the losing end of a 5-3 decision on May 16, giving up two homers and three runs over six innings in Miami.
WALK-OFFS
1. Marlins LF Christian Yelich is riding a seven-game hitting streak.
2. Phillies CF Odubel Herrera was held out of the starting lineup Wednesday after going 4-for-36 in his previous nine games.
3. Miami needs to win four of its 11 remaining contests in July to post four straight winning months for the first time in team history.
PREDICTION: Phillies 4, Marlins 3
By SportsDirect Inc.
