Preview: Marlins seek to avoid sweep in finale vs. Cubs
TV: FOX Sports Florida
TIME: Pregame coverage begins at 6:30 p.m.
WATCH IT LIVE ON FOX SPORTS GO
Chicago Cubs (7-9, fourth in the NL Central) vs. Miami Marlins (4-14, fifth in the NL East)
PITCHING PROBABLES
Cubs: Cole Hamels (2-0, 3.79 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 15 strikeouts)
Marlins: Sandy Alcantara (2-1, 4.24 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 12 strikeouts)
Miami Marlins on FOX Sports Florida
LINE
Cubs favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 8 runs
BOTTOM LINE
Miami enters the matchup as losers of their last three games.
The Marlins are 3-9 in home games. The Miami pitching staff has a team ERA of 4.89, Trevor Richards leads the staff with a mark of 3.57.
The Cubs are 4-7 on the road. Chicago has a team on-base percentage of .358, good for third in the National League. Willson Contreras leads the team with a mark of .455. The Cubs won the last meeting 4-0. Jose Quintana notched his second victory and Javier Baez went 3-for-4 with a home run and an RBI for Chicago. Pablo Lopez took his third loss for Miami.
TOP PERFORMERS
Starlin Castro leads the Marlins with 16 hits and has four RBIs. Austin Dean is 5-for-20 with a double, a triple, a home run and six RBIs over the last 10 games for Miami.
Baez leads the Cubs with 22 hits and has 14 RBIs. Contreras is 8-for-30 with five home runs and eight RBIs over the last 10 games for Chicago.
LAST 10 GAMES
Marlins: 2-8, .205 batting average, 5.24 ERA, outscored by 31 runs
Cubs: 6-4, .248 batting average, 3.78 ERA, outscored opponents by 22 runs
Marlins Injuries: Riley Ferrell: 10-day IL (bicep), Julian Fernandez: 60-day IL (elbow), Austin Brice: 10-day IL (gastroenteritis), Garrett Cooper: 10-day IL (calf).
Cubs Injuries: Brandon Morrow: 10-day IL (elbow), Mike Montgomery: 10-day IL (shoulder), Jon Lester: 10-day IL (hamstring), Kendall Graveman: 60-day IL (elbow), Xavier Cedeno: 10-day IL (wrist), Tony Barnette: 10-day IL (shoulder), Victor Caratini: 10-day IL (hand).