Marlins at Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals have turned around their fortunes at the expense of the National League East, winning two of three at Miami before capturing three of four versus the New York Mets to complete a season-high 10-game road trip. The Cardinals return to the Gateway City to begin a nine-game homestand on Monday with the opener of a four-game set versus the Marlins.
Paul DeJong homered for the third time in four contests on Sunday as St. Louis posted a 4-3 victory in New York despite recording just three hits. The 25-year-old DeJong has five RBIs and as many runs scored in his last four contests and began his six-game hitting streak in Miami. Rookie Harold Ramirez launched a three-run homer to highlight a four-run fourth inning on Sunday, but the Marlins let a late lead go by the boards and fell for the eighth time in 10 outings with a 5-4 setback to Pittsburgh. The 24-year-old, who is 11-for-31 with five runs scored in his last eight games, went 4-for-12 with two runs scored in the previous series versus the Cardinals.
TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, FS Florida (Miami), FS Midwest (St. Louis)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins RH Elieser Hernandez (0-1, 5.87 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Miles Mikolas (4-7, 4.83)
Hernandez will make his second start of the season in place of the injured Caleb Smith, who is sidelined with left hip inflammation. The 24-year-old allowed three runs on five hits and struck out seven over 5 2/3 innings in a 7-1 setback versus St. Louis on Tuesday. Paul Goldschmidt is 3-for-6 with a pair of doubles versus Hernandez, who has limited the remainder of the current crop of Cardinals to bat 6-for-25 with 10 strikeouts against him.
Mikolas fell to 0-5 in his last six trips to the mound on Wednesday after yielding five runs on eight hits - including Garrett Cooper's grand slam - in five innings of a 9-0 shellacking at Miami. "I'm not getting away with as many mistakes as I did last year," said the 30-year-old, who went 18-4 in 2018. "I got a little lucky last year. I don't think I'm lucky at all this year." Mikolas, who fell to 2-1 with a 3.91 ERA in six career appearances (four starts) against the Marlins, has kept Starlin Castro (1-for-10, two strikeouts) under wraps.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cooper is batting 20-for-51 with 13 runs scored in June.
2. St. Louis C Yadier Molina has hit safely in four straight games and had two hits in Tuesday's game versus Miami.
3. The Marlins are just 5-14 against NL Central representatives.