Miami

Series Preview: Marlins at Diamondbacks

The Marlins will try and turn things around when they take on the Diamondbacks this weekend

The Miami Marlins will try and halt a three-game skid when they visit the Arizona Diamondbacks beginning on Friday.

The Marlins have lost six of their last seven games and are 20-36 overall this season. The Diamondbacks meanwhile are 28-27 and are right in the thick of the playoff race. Arizona has been slumping as of late, with seven losses in the last ten games played.

Rookie Elieser Hernandez will make the start for Miami on Friday and will try once again for his first big-league win. Hernandez has pitched well, but the 23-year old has not received much run support. Hernandez has compiled a 2.50 E.R.A, while the team has gone 1-4 in his appearances.

Caleb Smith will look to continue his fine season when he starts Saturday's game for the Marlins. Smith is 4-5 with a 3.51 E.R.A this season and could possibly be Miami's representative at the All-Star Game. Smith has 69 strikeouts in 56.1 innings and a solid 1.15 WHIP overall. The lefty has won back-to-back starts for the Marlins and has continued to pile up the strikeouts.

When Dan Straily pitches, the Marlins are 5-1 this season and he'll get the ball for Sunday's series finale. Straily is 2-1 with a 3.69 E.R.A in 2018 and he has kept Miami in games. The veteran is coming off a loss against the San Diego Padres and will try to avoid serving up any more home runs. Straily has allowed six homers in his six starts thus far.

Miami did not do much offensively in San Diego earlier this week, but one player did stand out from the group. Derek Dietrich has five hits in the series and also smacked his sixth home run of the year. Dietrich hit .306 in May and is hitting .266 this season.

The series will get underway on Friday at 9:40 p.m.

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