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Game Overview

Miami’s fast start this season has slowed considerably and it is now in danger of losing its fifth-straight series after dropping Game 1 of this three-game set 7-5 as a 134 road underdog on Tuesday night. The Marlins have fallen six games in back of Washington in the NL East heading into Wednesday’s Game 2. They are 33-34 overall and an even 16-16 on the road. The total has stayed ‘under’ in five of their last eight games.

Despite posting five runs in Monday’s loss, scoring has been an issue for Miami all season long It is currently ranked 14th in the NL with an average of 3.64 runs per game and has managed a total of just 18 runs in its previous nine games. The Marlins will send Carlos Zambrano to the mound as their starter. The fiery right-hander has struggled as of late; giving-up 11 earned runs on eight hits and nine walks in his last two starts. Overall, he is 4-5 on the year with a 3.92 ERA in 13 starts.

Boston continues to try and battle its way back into the AL East race with a 5-1 record in its last six games. The Red Sox are now over .500 at 34-33 but still a full seven games in back of New York in the division. They are 19-14 on the road this season but 15-19 at home. The total has stayed ‘under’ in six of their last nine games.

While Boston continues to pound the ball with the second-best scoring average in the Majors, its problems on the mound continue to undermine its efforts at the plate. The Red Sox’s pitching staff is ranked 12th in the AL with a team ERA of 4.31. They will go with Daisuke Matsuzaka as their starter for this series finale. After an extended stint of the disabled list, the right-hander has given-up seven earned runs on nine hits in his first two starts. An encouraging sign has been 11 strike outs verse four base-on-balls in those two outings.

Prediction

The Marlins have now lost seven of the last nine meetings heading into Wednesday’s matchup. Boston fully understands that these are the kind of games it has to win to get back in the playoff race and comes through with a much-needed victory in front of the home-town crowd. Boston 6 Miami 3