San Diego @ Florida preview
Sun Life Stadium
Last Meeting ( Apr 26, 2010 ) San Diego 1, Florida 10
For a team that climbed to the top of the NL West standings on the strength of its pitching staff, the San Diego Padres haven't done much to impress the Florida Marlins yet.
The Marlins opened the teams' three-game series at Sun Life Stadium by ripping 12 hits in a 10-1 victory Monday, perhaps jump-starting a struggling offense. Before Monday, Florida hadn't scored more than five runs in a game since April 16 against the Philadelphia Phillies. Only one everyday starter - second baseman Dan Uggla - is hitting over .300, and only Uggla and third baseman Jorge Cantu have hit more than two home runs.
But Florida found its rhythm at the plate against the Padres, matching its season-high for runs. Uggla and Hanley Ramirez hit home runs and eight of the Marlins' nine starters had at least one hit Monday - a trend the Marlins hope to continue on Tuesday against Jon Garland.
After being tagged with the loss in his first two starts with the Padres, Garland has allowed a total of one earned run in his last two outings, lowering his ERA to 2.86. The 30-year-old right-hander gave up three unearned runs in a no-decision against the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 16. He picked up his first win in a San Diego uniform last Wednesday, limiting the Giants to one run on six hits over seven solid innings.
Garland has been much better in spacious Petco Park (1-0, 0.75 ERA) than on the road (0-2, 5.40) so far this season. In four career starts against the Marlins, Garland is 2-1 with a 2.28 ERA.
Marlins starter Anibal Sanchez's season has followed a similar course. The 25-year-old right-hander was knocked around in his first two starts of the year, but he picked up his first win Thursday at Houston, holding the Astros to one run on nine hits over 6 2/3 innings.
Over his five-year career, Sanchez has been much better at home (11-6, 3.40) than on the road (8-12, 4.40), but he was roughed up in his only start at Sun Life Stadium this season. He has never faced the Padres.
The magic the Padres mustered during an eight-game winning streak has quickly fizzled, and they've lost two in a row. They managed only three hits Monday against Josh Johnson, who even managed to shut down red-hot hitters Chase Headley and Adrian Gonzalez. Headley went 0-for-4 after having hit safely in 16 of San Diego's first 18 games, and Gonzalez was 0-for-2, snapping his string of four consecutive games with a home run.
The Marlins on Monday activated right-handed reliever Brian Sanches from the disabled list and placed left-hander Dan Meyer on the DL retroactive to Sunday with a strained calf. Sanches was on the DL because of a strained right hamstring and has not pitched yet this season. He was 4-2 with a 2.56 ERA in 47 appearances last season.