Series Preview: Twins at Marlins

The Miami Marlins will host the Minnesota Twins for a three-game series beginning on Tuesday.

Miami has won five of the last six games it has played and it has been victorious in two straight series. The Marlins have improved to 41-63 on the season and have played well against the American League in 2019. The Marlins are 7-5 in their interleague games thus far this year.

Minnesota is currently leading the American League Central with a solid 64-41 record. The Twins also have a new arm in their bullpen and he could be a factor in this series. Sergio Romo was traded from Miami to Minnesota over the weekend and he has not made his debut for the Twins as of yet. Romo will likely work in a setup role for the Twins.

Rookie Zac Gallen will get the ball for the Marlins on Tuesday. Gallen is coming off the strongest start of his career and picked up his first win in that appearance. The 23-year old went seven shutout innings against the Chicago White Sox, which lowered his E.R.A. to 2.76. Gallen struck out a career-high nine in that outing and has 35 punchouts in 29.1 innings pitched.

Sandy Alcantara will get the starting assignment in the middle game of the series on Wednesday. The right-hander is 4-9 with a 4.18 E.R.A. through 20 starts this year. Alcantara has never faced any of Minnesota's hitters and he is coming off a quality start in his last outing. The 23-year old was Miami's All-Star this season, but had been struggling mightily prior to that quality start.

Jordan Yamamoto's rookie season has taken a turn for the worst recently and he will get another chance on Thursday. Yamamoto got off to a 4-0 start, but he has been tagged with the loss in two straight appearances. The right-hander has allowed 11 runs in his last eight innings of work. Yamamoto surrendered three home runs combined in last two starts, after allowing none in his first six outings.

Miguel Rojas has hit a home run in three consecutive games and has been Miami's hottest hitter. Rojas could draw interest from contending teams, with the trade deadline coming on Wednesday. Rojas has a .344 on-base percentage on the year and has the ability to play multiple positions in the field. Rojas has four home runs in July, after having zero going into the month.