MLB Game Preview - Milwaukee at Miami

Mon Sep 9, 2019 7:10 PM EDT

The Milwaukee Brewers are back in the wild-card race after winning the last three games of a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs with an 8-5 victory Sunday afternoon. The Brewers and Cubs played seven times in the past 10 games, with the Brewers winning five of the seven.

Trailing the Cubs for the second wild-card spot by just two games, the Brewers travel to Miami to begin a four-game series Monday night. The Marlins took two of three from the Brewers in Milwaukee in June, including a 16-0 whitewashing on June 4.

Right hander Jordan Lyles (10-8, 4.46 ERA) will start for the Brewers. Lyles is 2-1 with a 5.76 ERA in his career against the Marlins. He's faced them six times, including four starts. He has not faced them in 2019.

Lyles, who was acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates for righty Cody Ponce on July 29, is 5-1 with a 2.56 ERA in seven starts with the Brewers. In his last seven starts with the Pirates, he had an ERA of 10.00. He gives credit for the turnaround to his catchers.

"I think a lot of it has to do with 'Yaz' and Manny, trusting their fingers," said Lyles, referring to Brewers catchers Yasmani Grandal and Manny Pina. "Putting me in the right situations at the right times, calling the right pitches. I think a lot of credit goes to them. We've been in a lot of good counts."

In his last start, Lyles held Houston to two runs on six hits without walking a batter in 6 1/3 innings against the Astros.

"We were pretty efficient from the start," he said following Tuesday's game. "We didn't have our best stuff. The breaking ball wasn't there for us. But we missed some barrels. We did a good job."

The Marlins will be trying to play spoiler. They could use more starts like Sandy Alcantara's four-hit shutout against the Kansas City Royals on Sunday. Alcantara walked just two and struck out eight. But he had lost his previous six outings, and his 5-12 record shows his inconsistency.

Right hander Robert Dugger (0-1, 4.00) will get the ball for the Marlins. It will be just the fourth start of his career. After allowing six runs in five innings in his debut, he's allowed two earned runs over 13 innings in his last two starts.

In his most recent start, Dugger induced a pair of double plays in the first and second innings.

"The more starts you get, of course you're going to get more comfortable and acclimated," Dugger said following the game. "But you have to go out there every single day. You still have a job to do."

Dugger looks to be part of the Marlins' future, even though he was surprised with the call-up.

"I started breathing really heavy. I couldn't really breathe at all really," Dugger said in early August when he found out he was going to make his major league debut.

"I had no idea. Total blindside. I think that's what makes it even more of an overwhelming situation."

--Field Level Media