The Philadelphia Phillies (46-43, 47-42 RL, 45-41-3 O/U) and the Miami Marlins (43-45, 42-44 RL, 40-43-3 O/U) resume a three-game divisional series on Saturday afternoon. The Phillies will have Ranger Suarez on the mound. The Marlins will reply with Max Meyer who is making his MLB debut. The season series is even at 4-4.
Ranger Suarez is expected to return from the IL to start this game. Suarez last pitched on June 29th against the Braves, conceding four runs in six innings, and was tagged with the loss to fall to 6-5 on the season. The veteran southpaw posted a strong 3.77 ERA in June and enters with a 4.33 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP in 79 innings of work on the season. Suarez conceded two runs in five innings against the Marlins in April and is 3-1 with a 3.60 ERA in 35 career innings against the foes.
The Phillies resume a nine-game road trip. They won two of four against the Cardinals to begin the trek and were issued a two-game sweep by the Jays prior to this series. The offense has cooled down recently while the pitching has been solid. Philly has logged a .500 record on the road this season.
Rhys Hoskins has feasted on the Marlins ' pitching this season, going 11 for 26 with seven RBIs and a dazzling 1.4 OPS. The 29-year-old first baseman now has 18 big flies with 43 RBIs and a solid .821 OPS on the year. Hoskins has cooled a bit, posting four RBIs and an .832 OPS on the month.
The Phillies are scoring an average of 4.66 runs per game, ranking them seventh overall. The pitching staff has accrued a 3.80 team ERA, placing them 12th in the big leagues.