Marlins Reveal Starting Pitchers for Pivotal Series Against Red Sox
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Despite sweeping the Washington Nationals at home over the weekend, the Miami Marlins remain four games behind the San Diego Padres for the third and final National League wild-card spot. 31 games remain in the season for the Marlins, but with each passing series, things aren't getting easier.
Going into a three-game series at home against the Boston Red Sox, Miami has a 6.1% chance of making the playoffs, according to Fangraphs.
Looking to build off the weekend sweep, the Marlins will host the red-hot Red Sox, who have had the biggest turnaround this season. Two winning streaks of 15 and nine games have vaulted them from the basement of the American League standings to the second wild-card spot. Boston will visit loanDepot Park beginning Monday night to kick off a series where the pitching matchups favor the visitors.
Marlins Release Probable Starters vs. Red Sox
Boston comes into the series as the winners of five out of six. A recent six-game homestand saw the team win two out of three games over the Arizona Diamondbacks and sweep the San Francisco Giants.
Here are the pitching matchups as both teams look to extend a three-game winning streak in the opener.
Monday: Ranger Suárez (5-3, 3.41 ERA) vs. Sandy Alcantara (13-8, 3.46 ERA), 6:40 p.m.
Tuesday: Payton Tolle (8-6, 3.08 ERA) vs. TBA, 6:40 p.m.
Wednesday: Sonny Gray (16-3, 2.79 ERA) vs. Ryan Gusto (0-3, 4.37 ERA), 6:40 p.m.
Miami has named two of its three starters for the series, with the middle game still undetermined. On the flip side, the Red Sox will be sending out their top three pitchers, headlined by Gray, who is an American League Cy Young Award candidate. He struggled in Friday night's start against the Giants, but gutted his way to his 16th victory of the season. Suárez has been hit-or-miss, while Tolle is a hard-throwing left-hander who was roughed up by the Diamondbacks in his last start for five runs in five innings.
As for the Marlins, they send Alcantara to the mound, looking to extend their winning streak in the opener. The right-hander has been very good in four August starts with a 1.38 ERA. In 26 innings, he's allowed just four runs, three to the Philadelphia Phillies in his last start. His strikeout numbers have been down in his last two starts, with just three combined in 13 innings.
After this series, Miami hits the road for a trip that begins against the Nationals on Friday night and will wrap around to Aug. 31. First things first, figuring out how to win a series over Boston is easier said than done.
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