The Miami Marlins are crossing Pennsylvania with some momentum as they open a three-game road set against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday.
Miami is coming off a series victory in Pittsburgh, highlighted by a 4-2 win over ace right-hander Paul Skenes and the Pirates on Sunday. The Marlins rode a strong start from Max Meyer (one run in six innings) and second-inning homers from Heriberto Hernandez and Joe Mack to their seventh win in eight games.
“A couple All-Stars potentially going at it today,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said of Meyer, who improved to 7-0, facing the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner. “You go into it facing someone that’s as tough as Paul Skenes is, (knowing) that runs are going to be at a premium, and it was nice for us to get a couple early. … It’s showing that (Meyer) can go up against anyone, and in a game where it’s probably going to be low scoring, (that he’s going) to be able to go match zeros against a premium arm.”
Miami will be facing another premium arm Monday in Zack Wheeler (5-1, 2.22 ERA), who has allowed more than three runs in a start only once this season. He held the host Toronto Blue Jays to one run over six innings Tuesday in an eventual 3-2 defeat.
“It wasn’t the best, wasn’t the sharpest,” Wheeler said. “Velocity was down just a tick. You take those games and throw them out right away and move on.”
Wheeler is 13-4 with a 2.68 ERA against the Marlins in 27 starts in his career. He has faced them once this season, holding Miami to one run and three hits over six innings in a 6-5 win on May 1.
The veteran right-hander will be opposed by Ryan Gusto (0-1, 6.00), who will be making his fifth appearance and third start of the season. The second-year righty will be facing the Phillies for the first time in his career.
In his last start, Gusto gave the Marlins four scoreless innings in an 8-0 home victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“I’m just trying to do my job,” Gusto said. “Obviously, I want to be in the mix as much as possible, but I have to earn that spot, and so it’s not up for me to decide. I just have to do my job every chance that I get, and hope that things work out.”
The Phillies enter this matchup on the heels of a series defeat in Milwaukee, where the Brewers shut out Philadelphia twice in the three-game set. In Sunday’s 4-0 setback, Cristopher Sanchez suffered his first loss since April 18 while the Phillies’ bats managed only four singles on the day.
“Everything was off today, especially my energy,” Sanchez said. “It wasn’t like it usually is. Not to use that as an excuse. Just got to go out there on days like this and try to battle.”
Monday’s matchup is the fifth of 13 meetings between the teams this season. The Phillies won three of four in Miami in early May.
–Field Level Media
