Diamondbacks vs Marlins Preview: Pitching Showdown in Miami

Arizona came to South Florida looking for answers. Yesterday, the Marlins dominated them 0-8. The Diamondbacks' bats went completely silent at loanDepot park. Things got worse in the fourth inning when Miami's hitters went wild. Stowers hit a massive home run that rocketed 425 feet into right field. The blast brought two runners home and buried Arizona's hopes. Today, Merrill Kelly takes the mound for the Diamondbacks. Kelly's been struggling this season with a 12.6 ERA. Arizona sits at 34-32 overall but has lost one straight. They need Kelly to lock down and keep Miami's bats quiet.

The Marlins are fired up right now. Miami just won three straight games and is 6-4 in their last ten. Yesterday's explosion proved their lineup can break games open fast. Multiple Marlins hitters drove in runs—Caissie launched a homer, and Lopez kept getting on base. Edwards contributed with a sacrifice fly that scored another runner. Tyler Phillips takes the mound today for Miami in his starting role. The Marlins are 32-35 overall but own an impressive 21-16 record at home. That means loanDepot park is their fortress. Arizona will have to battle the crowd energy and Miami's hot bats.

The Diamondbacks are dealing with serious injury problems. Jordan Lawlar, their shortstop, has been out since early April with a wrist injury. Carlos Santana is also sidelined and just started rehabbing his thigh. Lourdes Gurriel is on the injured list too with a hamstring strain. James McCann, the catcher, is rehabbing a quad injury. All these missing stars mean Arizona has to rely on their backup players. The pitching staff needs to be sharp because the lineup can't swing enough bats. Merrill Kelly must be perfect today to give Arizona any shot at winning.