Two teams that have long climbs if they’re going to reach the postseason needed a sweep this weekend, but instead the Miami Marlins and Baltimore Orioles will try for the next best thing.
The ballclubs meet in the rubber game of their three-game series Sunday afternoon.
“Have a chance to win the series,” Marlins second baseman Xavier Edwards said.
The Orioles have won six of their last eight games. Miami snapped a three-game skid with Saturday’s 6-0 victory, scoring all its runs over the final three innings.
“Once the ball was rolling, it didn’t stop,” Edwards said. “Each at-bat is your own and it’s important.”
Outfielder Derek Hill, who spent a few weeks on the injury list with the Marlins, is getting back in the groove. He had two hits and drove in two runs Saturday.
“Nice to see all the hard work in the cages and on the field and all the coaching staff giving 100 percent of what they have every day,” Hill said.
Edwards hit his first home run of the season in the ninth inning.
“I’ve come close three or four times the last week or so,” Edwards said. “Glad it went over.”
Some of the emotional elements should be fading regarding this series and players facing their former clubs. Miami infielder Connor Norby and outfielder Kyle Stowers are former Orioles, while pitcher Trevor Rogers, who was Baltimore’s starter Saturday, had spent all of his career in the Miami organization until last year’s trade.
Orioles rookie right-hander Brandon Young (0-3, 6.14 ERA) will be on the mound. Young worked five shutout innings before allowing runs in the sixth in his start Tuesday night against the New York Mets. That recent effort marked the first time in his brief career he had gotten through five innings without giving up a run.
“I feel like I’m getting better, learning a few things,” Young said. “I’m excited to keep working at it.”
Against the Mets, Young had an immaculate inning in the fifth, striking out three batters on nine pitches.
Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino would like to see elements of that previous stint.
“You guys kind of saw the aura, the presence he had on the mound, is a little bit different,” Mansolino said. “The fastball had some life. The split was really good. The presence was probably even better, which is the best part.”
Right-hander Eury Perez (2-2, 4.00) will be Miami’s starting pitcher. He has won both of his starts this month, working a combined 11 innings while giving up one run against Minnesota and Cincinnati.
The Marlins have won four of Perez’s six starts this year. He’ll be facing the Orioles for the first time.
The Orioles could be getting several players back in the days following the All-Star break, but they’re thankful for some of the contributions from recently acquired players such as catchers Alex Jackson and Jacob Stallings.
“The good thing with the guys that we brought in, in Alex and Jacob, they’ve been in the big leagues and they understand a lot of big league hitters,” Mansolino said. “So there’s information that they have on the hitters and they’re learning our pitchers.”
–Field Level Media
