MLB Game Preview - Arizona at Miami

Mon Jul 29, 2019 7:10 PM EDT

Caleb Smith will take the ball a day after his 28th birthday, as the Miami Marlins try to win a four-game series from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday at Marlins Park.

The Marlins won the series opener 3-2 on Friday, dropped the second game 9-2 then won 5-1 on Sunday.

Smith is the dean of a youthful rotation that includes 23-year-olds Zac Gallen, Sandy Alcantara, Pablo Lopez (currently injured) and Jordan Yamamoto. All of them appear to have bright futures, and that includes Smith, who -- even though he is older than his rotation mates -- still has made just 34 major league starts.

Smith, who is 6-4 with a 3.30 ERA this year, has pitched a career-high 90 innings so far this season, and Marlins manager Don Mattingly is mindful of the workload of all his pitchers.

"We're going to manage their usage," Mattingly told reporters. "We could even use a six-man rotation in September."

Smith is coming off perhaps his best start of the season, beating the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday. The lefty allowed just two hits, two walks and one run in seven innings, striking out nine.

He went 2-0 with a 2.17 ERA in five April starts, and he is 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA in four July outings. He has struggled some on the road but has been strong at home (4-1, 2.23 ERA).

This will be Smith's first start against the Diamondbacks, who will try to get to him early. Smith has a 5.06 ERA in the first inning, but he tends to settle down quickly in the following frames. Batters are hitting just .234 versus his changeup, .203 against his fastball and .156 against his slider.

Meanwhile, Arizona will counter Smith with right-hander Merrill Kelly (7-10, 4.22 ERA), a 30-year-old rookie from Arizona State who finally made his major league debut this year on April Fool's Day.

Kelly is a control pitcher -- he averages just 7.2 strikeouts and 2.3 walks per nine innings -- who has allowed 19 homers in 21 starts.

This will be his first time facing the Marlins, and he would be wise to watch out for Miami shortstop Miguel Rojas, who has hit a leadoff, first-inning homer in two straight games.

Kelly has struggled on the road -- a 4.68 ERA compared to his 3.77 ERA at home -- and he has yet to answer the bell for the stretch run.

In fact, he has alternated good months with bad ones: a 3.94 ERA in April, a 5.70 ERA in May, a 2.75 ERA in June and a 5.31 ERA so far in July.

As for the Marlins, they got a big boost from their bullpen on Sunday, and the timing was important. The Marlins traded away closer Sergio Romo to the Minnesota Twins after Saturday's game and then got a combined total of five scoreless innings of relief from Jose Quijada, Trevor Richards, Nick Anderson and Jarlin Garcia on Sunday.

Quijada earned the win, Anderson escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the eighth, and Garcia extended his scoreless streak to 19 innings. Mattingly appears ready to go without a designated closer for the moment.

Arizona's closer situation is also murky after manager Torey Lovullo said on Sunday that Greg Holland has lost that role, at least for now.

"I explained to (Holland) that I want it to be a temporary thing," Lovullo said.

Holland is 1-2 with a 3.51 ERA and 17 saves in 22 opportunities. He allowed two runs in a blown save in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Marlins, after blowing back-to-back saves earlier this month.

"We want to give him a little bit of a breather," Lovullo said, "and let him find his way back to the closer role."

--Field Level Media