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Angels play rubber match with Marlins

Aug 27, 2014 - 2:13 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The LA Angels of Anaheim shoot for a series win Wednesday in the finale of a three-game set versus the Miami Marlins.

After losing Monday's series opener, 7-1, the AL West-leading Angels evened the series with an 8-2 win Tuesday behind Matt Shoemaker's seven shutout innings and six strikeouts.

"Shoe keeps doing what he's been doing all year. He was ahead in counts all night," said Angels manager Mike Scioscia. "He moved the ball in and out. You couldn't ask for a better game. The offense came alive up and down the lineup and we pressured them for runs."

Albert Pujols had three hits and two RBI, while Mike Trout and David Freese posted three hits apiece for the Angels, who have a one-game lead on Oakland in the division standings and are 10-4 in the past 14 games.

The A's will visit Anaheim next for four games.

The Halos will hand the ball to Hector Santiago on Wednesday in hopes of sealing up a series win. Santiago is 3-7 with a 3.38 earned run average and the club has lost his last four appearances, including Friday's 5-3 loss at Oakland in which he gave up two runs (1 earned) in five innings.

Santiago has won his last three decisions and will face the Marlins for the first time. The left-hander is 1-3 in 12 games (9 starts) on the road.

Miami has dropped four of six games and is 2-3 on a nine-game road trip. In last night's lopsided loss, starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi was touched for six runs and 10 hits in just 3 1/3 innings to take the loss.

Eovaldi was done in by a five-run fourth inning.

"Nathan was leaving too many pitches up in the zone. He's going to have to make adjustments," noted Marlins skipper Mike Redmond, whose club gave up 16 hits to the Angels "It's definitely concerning. It was a missed opportunity for us."

Donovan Solano had two of Miami's six hits.

Henderson Alvarez has a chance to pitch the Marlins to a series win in Wednesday's rubber match when he takes the mound. Alvarez is 10-5 with a 2.57 ERA and has been the ace of the pitching staff. He has won four straight starts and is coming off Friday's 13-5 pounding at Colorado, where he allowed four runs and 10 hits in six innings.

Alvarez has faced the Angels three times -- all starts -- in his career, going 2-0 with a 1.57 ERA across 23 innings. The right-hander has a 4-3 mark in 12 road assignments this season.

After this series with the Angels, Miami will visit Atlanta for three games.

The Marlins are visiting Anaheim for the first time since 2005, when they lost two of three matchups. They lost two of three home meetings with the Halos in 2011.