Miami @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 20, 2016 ) Miami 3, Pittsburgh 1

The Miami Marlins did not do themselves any favors by dropping three straight at Cincinnati earlier in the week but have turned things around this weekend. The Marlins will try to wrap up their seven-game road trip with a winning record when they go for a three-game sweep of the host Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.

Miami held off the Pirates in Friday’s series opener and got a strong effort from starter David Phelps in Saturday’s 3-1 triumph, pushing it a half-game ahead of Pittsburgh in the National League wild card race. The Marlins sit 1 1/2 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the second NL wild card and are trying to hang around despite a lineup missing slugger Giancarlo Stanton and a rotation that is without Wei-Yin Chen and Adam Conley due to injury. The Pirates were riding high after a 5-1 road trip through NL West contenders Los Angeles and San Francisco but managed only four hits in Saturday’s loss, with Josh Harrison accountied for three out of the leadoff spot. Pittsburgh had a string of four straight series wins come to an end with Saturday’s setback.

TV: 1:35 p.m. ET, FSN Florida (Miami), ROOT (Pittsburgh)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins RH Jose Urena (1-4, 6.80 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Ryan Vogelsong (2-2, 3.20)

Injuries are keeping Urena in the rotation despite some ugly results of late. The 24-year-old Dominican was sent back to the minors after surrendering eight runs in 4 1/3 innings on July 29 and came back to replace Conley (finger) on Tuesday at Cincinnati, where he was only mildly more effective with five runs allowed over six frames in a loss. Urena has faced Pittsburgh twice in his first two seasons – one start – and yielded a total of nine runs and 13 hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Vogelsong is making his fourth consecutive start since rejoining the rotation and is looking for his second straight win. The North Carolina native started against his former team at San Francisco on Monday and earned the win despite allowing four runs on nine hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings. Vogelsong started twice against Miami last season and went 0-1 while surrendering a total of five runs in 13 innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Pirates 3B Jung Ho Kang (shoulder) was placed on the disabled list and is expected to miss 2-4 weeks.

2. Marlins RF Ichiro Suzuki needs two hits to tie Wade Boggs (3,010) for 27th on the all-time list.

3. Miami 1B Xavier Scruggs hit his first major-league home run on Saturday.

PREDICTION: Pirates 8, Marlins 6