The Philadelphia Phillies (79-62) will be going for the series win when they face the Miami Marlins (58-84) in the final game of their three-game series on Thursday night.
Noah Syndergaard, 9-9, 4.09 ERA, will get the start for the Phillies. The Marlins will counter with Pablo Lopez, 8-10, 4.04 ERA.
Philadelphia is 8-2 in its last 10 games against Miami.
**This preview was written before Wednesday’s game was played**
The Phillies have been rolling over the past week, winning six of their last seven gamers. They are now second in the NL Wildcard standings, 1.5 games ahead of San Diego, and will try to increase their lead with a win over the Marlins, which will give them their seventh win in their last eight games.
Philadelphia is averaging 4.70 runs per game. Their .256 batting average is eighth in the league. Their .318 on base percentage is 12th, while their .426 slugging percentage is fifth.
Alec Bohm leads the Phillies with a .293 batting average, while Kyle Schwarber leads the team with 37 home runs and 79 RBI.
Philadelphia’s pitching has been good, with the team giving up 4.18 runs per game. Opponents have a .242 batting average against the Phillies, which is 13th in the league. Their 3.88 ERA is 12th, as is their 1.24 WHI P.
In his last start, Syndergaard gave up eight hits and three runs in six innings, leading to an 8-3 win over Washington. They will need another solid start from him if they want to win this game.