Miami @ Philadelphia preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 4, 2018 ) Miami 3, Philadelphia 8

The Philadelphia Phillies are enjoying another hot streak with wins in four straight and have a chance to sweep a four-game set when they host the Miami Marlins on Sunday. The Phillies are dominating on the mound of late and are about to hand the ball to their ace with Aaron Nola taking the mound in the finale.

Philadelphia pitchers allowed a total of seven runs in the last four games and outscored the Marlins 18-6 in the first three of the current series. The pitching staff is getting plenty of support from the offense, which bashed out four homers in Saturday's 8-3 triumph, and the first-place Phillies sit 1 1/2 games in front of the Atlanta Braves in the National League East with a six-game road trip looming on Monday. Miami is sitting in the NL East basement after dropping five in a row, with all five of those setbacks coming against Philadelphia and Atlanta, and will continue to have an impact on the division with 15 games remaining the Phillies and Braves. The Marlins will try to stick their foot in that race by sending Dan Straily to the mound opposite Nola.

TV: 1:35 p.m. ET, FS Florida (Miami), NBCS Philadelphia

PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins RH Dan Straily (4-5, 4.41 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Aaron Nola (12-3, 2.35)

Straily suffered through his worst start of the season at Atlanta on Tuesday, when he was ripped for eight runs - five earned - on 11 hits and one walk over 3 2/3 innings. That ended a stretch of six straight outings allowing three or fewer runs for the California native, who served up a pair of home runs in the tough start. Straily surrendered two homers against Philadelphia on April 30, when he was charged with four runs across four innings without factoring in the decision.

Nola pitched eight strong innings against the best team in baseball on Monday, limiting the Boston Red Sox to one run and four hits without factoring in the decision at Fenway Park. The budding star is limiting opponents to a .199 batting average and surrendered one home run in his last eight appearances, including the All-Star Game. Nola's last loss came at Miami on July 14, when he was reached for two runs on four hits and a walk over six innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Phillies 2B Cesar Hernandez snapped a four-game hitless streak by homering among two hits on Saturday.

2. Miami 1B Justin Bour homered in two of the last three contests.

3. Philadelphia 1B Carlos Santana recorded multiple hits in three of the last four games.

PREDICTION: Phillies 6, Marlins 1