San Francisco @ Florida preview
Sun Life Stadium
Last Meeting ( May 4, 2010 ) San Francisco 9, Florida 6
A weak San Francisco Giants lineup is certainly happy to have Aaron Rowand back at the top.
Rowand and the Giants will be looking to clinch a series win when they take on the Florida Marlins on Wednesday.
At the bottom of the NL West in runs scored, San Francisco has put a lot of pressure on its vaunted pitching staff through the first five weeks of the season. But the return of Rowand to the lineup at least offers some hope that things won't be quite as difficult on the club's arms.
Rowand, who was hit in the face by a Vicente Padilla pitch on April 14 and suffered broken bones in his face, returned to the lineup on Sunday and went 1-for-4 against Colorado. The veteran center fielder really turned it on against the Marlins on Tuesday, going 3-for-5 and forcing extra innings with a solo homer in the top of the ninth off closer Leo Nunez.
The blast marked the first run given up all season by Nunez, who entered the contest having allowed just two hits in his first 10 1 /3 innings.
San Francisco took advantage of its second life in the 12th inning, when Aubrey Huff hit a two-run single and Nate Schierholtz forced in a run with a hit-by-pitch en route to a 9-6 win.
The wild contest also included a three-run homer by Hanley Ramirez that tied the score in the sixth and another by Dan Uggla to put the Marlins up, 6-5, in the eighth.
The Giants will turn to Barry Zito to keep Ramirez and company off the board on Wednesday. The veteran left-hander may finally be living up to the $126 million contract he signed prior to the 2007 campaign, beginning the season 4-0 with a 1.53 ERA.
Zito, who turns 32 on May 13, has gone eight innings in each of his last two starts and has yet to allow more than three runs in any start in 2010. It is quite a turnaround for a guy who traditionally struggles in April.
The Marlins were never privy to Zito's struggles, however, as the former Cy Young winner has dominated them with a 4-0 record and a 2.35 ERA over five starts. Ramirez is just 1-for-10 with a double against Zito.
Ramirez has had very little trouble with any other pitcher recently, going 9-for-15 with four homers in his last three games.
The Marlins will counter with their own left-hander, Nate Robertson. The veteran had a 2.20 ERA through his first three starts but has gotten pounded of late, allowing five runs on five hits and four walks in four innings in each of his last two starts.
Robertson, who is getting his first extended taste of the National League after spending the last seven years with the Detroit Tigers, managed only one strikeout last week against the San Diego Padres and has a season-high of just four.