On Friday, the San Diego Padres open a three-game series on the East Coast in South Florida against the Miami Marlins.
The Marlins are off on Thursday after beating the Atlanta Braves 3-1 on Wednesday. Five relievers for the Padres combined to hold the Braves to four hits in the win. The Padres won two of three at home over the NL East leading Braves.
Miami won its second straight on Wednesday downing the St. Louis Cardinals 11-3 and will conclude that series on Thursday. Derek Dietrich had four hits including a home run to lead the offensive attack for the Marlins. The Marlins have two straight wins after losing six straight.
Eric Hosmer leads the Padres with a .285 batting average. Christian Villanueva has the team lead in home runs with 15 and RBIs with 35. Jose Pirela has a team high 67 hits. San Diego has a team batting average of .233 while opposing hitters are averaging .258 at the plate against Padres pitching. On Friday, the Padres will send Eric Lauer to the mound. The left-hander this season is 2-3 with an ERA of 6.82, 32 Ks and 17 BBs.
Brian Anderson leads the Marlins with a .297 batting average and team high 30 RBIs. Justin Bour has the team lead in home runs with 10 and Starlin Castro has a team high 70 hits. Miami has a team batting average of .237 while opposing hitters are averaging .254 at the plate against Marlins pitching. On Friday, Miami will send Caleb Smith to the mound. The left-hander on the season is 4-6 with an ERA of 4.03, 74 Ks and 28 BBs.
