Colorado @ Miami preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 23, 2013 ) Colorado 3, Miami 2

The Miami Marlins are rarely a heavy favorite, but that will be the case Saturday when National League Rookie of the Year candidate Jose Fernandez takes the mound against the visiting Colorado Rockies. The 21-year-old All-Star is 7-2 with a 1.65 ERA since June 1 and 4-0 in his last seven starts since his last loss July 7. Fernandez is coming off Monday's 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers - featuring fellow Cuban and Rookie of the Year favorite Yasiel Puig.

Fernandez will oppose Jeff Manship, who has lost all three starts since being called up on Aug. 8. Runs continue to be hard to come by in the season series following Colorado's 3-2 victory Friday - the teams have combined for 26 in their five meetings. The Rockies have lost five of their last seven contests, but that hasn't stopped Troy Tulowitzki from batting .421 during his 10-game hitting streak.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, ROOT (Colorado), FSN Florida (Miami)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH Jeff Manship (0-3, 7.80 ERA) vs. Marlins RH Jose Fernandez (9-5, 2.41)

Manship yielded five runs and six hits in five innings of a 5-4 loss at Philadelphia on Monday after allowing six runs and eight hits in five innings of a 7-5 setback to San Diego on Aug. 13. The 28-year-old's best outing was his first, when he yielded two runs in five innings against the Mets when he arrived in New York some seven hours prior to his start after taking a red-eye flight from Triple-A Colorado Springs. Manship's last major-league victory came in 2010 while with Minnesota.

“We just beat the best team in baseball and, to me, that was the most important part,” Fernandez told reporters after yielding two runs (one earned) and three walks while striking out eight in six innings against Los Angeles. He has allowed 98 hits while striking out 157 in 145 2/3 innings over 24 outings, and Miami is expected to shut him down after about 170 frames. Fernandez allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings while striking out eight in a 4-2 victory at Colorado on July 23.

WALK-OFFS

1. Colorado RHP Rafael Betancourt, 38, suffered a potentially career-ending elbow injury while blowing his second consecutive save Thursday in Philadelphia and will undergo an MRI on Monday. He was placed on the disabled list for the third time this season after previously spending time there with appendicitis and a groin injury.

2. Rockies C Wilin Rosario went 0-for-4 on Friday as his major league-best 13-game hitting streak came to an end. Miami RF Giancarlo Stanton had a nine-game winning streak snapped and also did not score for the first time in six games. Stanton went 0-for-2 with two walks.

3. The Rockies improved to 2-32 on the road this season when their opponent scores first.

PREDICTION: Marlins 3, Rockies 2