Miami

Series Preview: Marlins at Phillies

The Marlins will bring a three-game losing streak into a weekend series with the Phillies

The Miami Marlins will visit the Philadelphia Phillies for three games beginning on Friday.

Miami has lost three games in a row and five of six overall. The Marlins are sitting on 89 losses, with 16 games remaining. The Phillies have dropped five straight decisions and have seen their playoff hopes take a hit. While Philadelphia is still in contention, it needs to string together some wins quickly.

The Marlins have an opportunity to further damage Philadelphia's hopes and may relish the role of spoiler. Miami has played a lot of meaningless games as of late and has appeared to be lethargic at times. A chance to knock off a playoff-hopeful team, could be just what the young Miami squad needs at this time.

Wei-Yin Chen will start the series opener on Friday for the Marlins. Chen had five straight strong starts, before dropping his last outing. The veteran is 6-10 with a 4.72 E.R.A this season and most of the damage against him has come on the road. Philadelphia's home ballpark favors hitters and Chen could be in for a rough start.

Elieser Hernandez will continue to wind down his rookie season on Saturday. Hernandez is 2-7 with a 5.25 record and is competing for a spot on Miami's 2019 roster. Hernandez should have an opportunity to help his chances during spring training as well. The 23-year old had been working out of Miami's bullpen recently, but should now finish the season in the rotation.

Jose Urena will be looking for a third straight win on Sunday. Urena is 6-12 with a 4.29 E.R.A and he has pitched a lot better recently. The right-hander was Miami's Opening Day starter, but he has run into inconsistency for much of the year. Urena is expected to be a big part of Miami's rotation once again in 2019.

Friday's series opener will begin at 7:05 p.m.

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