Miami @ Philadelphia preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 3, 2014 ) Philadelphia 5, Miami 4

The Miami Marlins lost their top pitcher early in the season and will likely to be without MVP candidate Giancarlo Stanton as they try to hang in the playoff race the final few weeks. Stanton, who leads the majors in RBIs (105) and the National League in homers (37), suffered multiple facial fractures when he was hit by a pitch in Thursday’s 4-2 loss at Milwaukee. The Marlins will try to recover when they visit the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday for the opener of a three-game series.

Miami fell 5 ½ games behind Pittsburgh in the race for the NL’s second wild card after two straight losses and will start Henderson Alvarez, who has taken the ace role after Jose Fernandez (elbow surgery) went down. Cole Hamels goes to the mound, two starts after being part of a combined no-hitter for the Phillies. Hamels will have to deal with red-hot Marcell Ozuna, who matched the Marlins’ club record by belting a homer in four consecutive games.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET; FSN Florida (Miami), CSN Philadelphia

PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins RH Henderson Alvarez (10-6, 2.88 ERA) vs. Phillies LH Cole Hamels (8-7, 2.56)

Alvarez returns after missing a start with an oblique strain and will try to turn things around against a team he has controlled this season. The 24-year-old Venezuela native is 1-0 with 2.03 ERA in four starts versus the Phillies in 2014, but has allowed 13 runs (12 earned) over his last 14 2/3 innings overall. Marlon Byrd is 7-of-13 against Alvarez, who has a 4.09 ERA on the road as opposed to 1.75 at home.

Hamels has not yielded more than three runs in an outing since May 27 -- a span of 19 games -- and permitted three in a loss at Washington in his last start. The 30-year-old is 0-1 with a 4.26 ERA in three starts this season against the Marlins and is 9-13 with a 3.26 mark all time versus the Marlins. Casey McGehee is 6-for-16 while Ozuna has homered three times and knocked in five runs against Hamels.

WALK-OFFS

1. Philadelphia RHP Ken Giles has yielded just one run in his last 18 outings while striking out 26.

2. Miami LF Christian Yelich has hit safely in 13 of his last 14 games and boasts multiple hits in five of 10 contests this month.

3. The Phillies are 14-57 when they score three runs or fewer.

PREDICTION: Marlins 4, Phillies 1