MLB Betting Preview: Arizona at Florida Marlins
The Florida Marlins will try and salvage a split in their 4-game set with the Arizona Diamondbacks when the clubs meet Monday evening at Sun Life Stadium. The finale of the series and the season meetings between the Snakes and Fish gets underway at 4:10 p.m. (PT).
Monday's starting pitching battle is a tale of two extremes with Florida's Ricky Nolasco having enjoyed great success against the D-Backs over his career while Arizona's Zach Duke has experienced nothing but failure vs. the Marlins. Opening numbers for the contest listed Nolasco and Florida -140 with eight runs for the total.
Florida has been tacking on one loss after another since sitting 10 games above .500 through the first 50 games. The Marlins have dropped 12 of their last 14 to enter Monday's battle level at 32-32 (-0.9 units).
Edwin Rodriguez's lads ended an 8-game losing streak with a 6-4 triumph in Friday's opener, but then quickly fell back into their losing ways with defeats Saturday and Sunday. The Marlins have fallen back to third in the NL East after closely drafting the Phils much of April and May.
Kirk Gibson's gang meanwhile remains one of the top clubs in the game over the past four weeks. Arizona (36-30, +8.7 units) has won 21 of its last 28 to climb back within a half-game of the Giants at the top of the NL West standings. San Francisco's Sunday night battle with the Reds was still pending.
Duke (1-2, 2.37) will be making just his fourth start of the campaign after beginning the season in the Diamondbacks farm system following his winter trade from Pittsburgh. Two of Duke's three starts have come on the road where he has fashioned a 0.64 ERA in 14 innings.
While a member of the Pirates from 2005-10, Duke made seven starts against the Marlins and Pittsburgh lost all seven. The lefty's personal ledger includes an 0-5 mark and 6.49 ERA in 34 2/3 innings. Five career outings at this stadium have netted a 7.89 ERA (21 2/3 innings).
Florida has dropped the last three Nolasco (6-7, 3.86) starts, a stretch that started just as the club began going south at the end of May. That streak should end if the righty's past performances against the Marlins are any indication of how he'll pitch Monday evening.
Nolasco has a 5-1 record in six career assignments vs. the Snakes (42 2/3 IP, 3.38 ERA). He's 2-0 facing Arizona at this park, allowing just two earned runs in 15 frames.
Crew chief Tom Hallion should have the dish for this one, the 22-season veteran working his 10th game behind the plate this year. The New York native is 5-4 'under' so far following up on a 19-14 record below the total in '10.
Warm, muggy and a 40 percent chance of evening storms is the forecast for Miami. Should still be in the upper-80s at game time with a southwest breeze up to 10 mph (out to right field).
Florida takes off on a 7-game roadie following this game with Philadelphia the first stop for four. The Diamondbacks head home for six games, three apiece against the Giants and White Sox.
The Florida Marlins will try and salvage a split in their 4-game set with the Arizona Diamondbacks when the clubs meet Monday evening at Sun Life Stadium. The finale of the series and the season meetings between the Snakes and Fish gets underway at 4:10 p.m. (PT).
Monday's starting pitching battle is a tale of two extremes with Florida's Ricky Nolasco having enjoyed great success against the D-Backs over his career while Arizona's Zach Duke has experienced nothing but failure vs. the Marlins. Opening numbers for the contest listed Nolasco and Florida -140 with eight runs for the total.
Florida has been tacking on one loss after another since sitting 10 games above .500 through the first 50 games. The Marlins have dropped 12 of their last 14 to enter Monday's battle level at 32-32 (-0.9 units).
Edwin Rodriguez's lads ended an 8-game losing streak with a 6-4 triumph in Friday's opener, but then quickly fell back into their losing ways with defeats Saturday and Sunday. The Marlins have fallen back to third in the NL East after closely drafting the Phils much of April and May.
Kirk Gibson's gang meanwhile remains one of the top clubs in the game over the past four weeks. Arizona (36-30, +8.7 units) has won 21 of its last 28 to climb back within a half-game of the Giants at the top of the NL West standings. San Francisco's Sunday night battle with the Reds was still pending.
Duke (1-2, 2.37) will be making just his fourth start of the campaign after beginning the season in the Diamondbacks farm system following his winter trade from Pittsburgh. Two of Duke's three starts have come on the road where he has fashioned a 0.64 ERA in 14 innings.
While a member of the Pirates from 2005-10, Duke made seven starts against the Marlins and Pittsburgh lost all seven. The lefty's personal ledger includes an 0-5 mark and 6.49 ERA in 34 2/3 innings. Five career outings at this stadium have netted a 7.89 ERA (21 2/3 innings).
Florida has dropped the last three Nolasco (6-7, 3.86) starts, a stretch that started just as the club began going south at the end of May. That streak should end if the righty's past performances against the Marlins are any indication of how he'll pitch Monday evening.
Nolasco has a 5-1 record in six career assignments vs. the Snakes (42 2/3 IP, 3.38 ERA). He's 2-0 facing Arizona at this park, allowing just two earned runs in 15 frames.
Crew chief Tom Hallion should have the dish for this one, the 22-season veteran working his 10th game behind the plate this year. The New York native is 5-4 'under' so far following up on a 19-14 record below the total in '10.
Warm, muggy and a 40 percent chance of evening storms is the forecast for Miami. Should still be in the upper-80s at game time with a southwest breeze up to 10 mph (out to right field).
Florida takes off on a 7-game roadie following this game with Philadelphia the first stop for four. The Diamondbacks head home for six games, three apiece against the Giants and White Sox.
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