Miami @ Los Angeles preview

Last Meeting ( May 11, 2013 ) Miami 1, LA Dodgers 7

Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Andre Ethier will try to continue his red-hot hitting against the visiting Miami Marlins when the teams meet Sunday in the rubber match of their three-game series. Ethier went 4-for-4 in a 7-1 victory Saturday to boost his average to .403 in 44 career games against the Marlins, his highest average against any major league foe. The win prevented Los Angeles from losing nine in a row for the first time since 1992. The Marlins can clinch their second series win of the season with a victory.

Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez had two more hits Saturday to continue the best start through this point of the season in his 10-year career. Gonzalez is hitting .345 with four home runs and has 26 of the 115 RBIs by the Dodgers. Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp has a 10-game hitting streak, but continues to be stuck on one home run this season. Marlins catcher Miguel Olivo hit his third home run of the season Saturday, but the 12-year veteran is hitting .182, nearly 60 points below his career average.

TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Florida (Miami), Fox Sports Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins RH Tom Koehler (0-0, 3.18 ERA) vs. Dodgers LH Chris Capuano (0-2, 10.38)

Koehler comes out of the bullpen for his first start this season and second of his career, replacing left-hander Wade LeBlanc in the rotation. Opponents are batting .135 off Koehler this season, compared to .318 off LeBlanc, who is 0-5 with a 6.11 ERA. Koehler’s highest pitch count this season was 50 in a three-inning appearance April 29 against the Mets, but he has shown he can pitch for long stretches. He was second in innings pitched in the Southern League in 2010 while compiling a 16-2 record with Double-A Jacksonville.

Capuano’s first appearance since coming off the disabled list with a strained left calf wasn’t much better than his previous outing when the injury occurred. He allowed five earned runs and eight hits in four innings of a 9-2 loss Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He made two relief appearances against the San Diego Padres to start the season, the last after Zack Greinke suffered a broken left collarbone during a bench-clearing brawl. He moved into Greinke’s spot in the rotation and started against the Padres on April 16, allowing five earned runs and five hits in two innings before getting lifted because of the calf injury.

WALK-OFFS

1. Ethier’s last four four-hit games have come against the Marlins.

2. Marlins OF Chris Coghlan has four hits in his last eight pinch-hit opportunities.

3. Miami 3B Placido Polanco does not have an RBI in his last 16 games.

PREDICTION: Dodgers 6, Marlins 3