Marlins Carry Momentum Into Series With Giants

The suddenly hot Miami Marlins will open a series with the San Francisco Giants on Monday at Marlins Park.

The Marlins swept the Wild-Card leading Colorado Rockies over the weekend and have injected some life into their slim playoff hopes. Miami is still 8.5 games back of a playoff spot, but it could pick up more ground against San Francisco. The Giants have one of the worst records in baseball at 47-72. The Marlins are 56-60 and have a winning record at home.

Part of the reason for Miami's recent success has been the pitching staff. Pitchers for the Marlins held the Rockies to only three runs in each of the three wins. Colorado entered as one of the better offensive teams in the league and with a winning mark on the road. The Marlins were able to contain a potent offense and picked up some key hits of their own.

Giancarlo Stanton has been a one-man wrecking crew as of late and has been the most powerful player in baseball during the second half. Stanton tied Miami's franchise-record for home runs in a season on Sunday and now has the chance to make the mark his alone.

Adam Conley will try and continue his solid second half when he takes the ball for the series opening game. Conley has looked like a different pitcher since returning from AAA and has been working at a fast pace. In the first half, Conley fell behind in counts and struggled to be efficient with his pitches.

Dan Straily will look to even up his record at 8-8 when he starts Tuesday's game. Straily ran into some trouble in July, but has been pitching better as of late. The right-hander has a 3.74 E.R.A this season and Miami has been in most of the games Straily has pitched.

In the series finale on Wednesday, it will be Jose Urena's turn to start. Miami's de facto ace will bring his 10-5 record into the game. Urena has compiled a 3.75 E.R.A this season and has allowed only five runs in his last 19.1 innings pitched. Urena began the year in the bullpen, but quickly became Miami's most consistent arm in the rotation.