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Marlins-Phillies Preview

Jun 8, 2010 - 3:39 AM By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN STATS Senior Writer

Florida (28-30) at Philadelphia (30-25), 7:05 p.m. EDT

The Florida Marlins are ready to see what power-hitting phenom Mike Stanton can do in the big leagues.

The 20-year-old Stanton will make his anticipated major league debut Tuesday night when the Marlins start a three-game road series against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Stanton wowed the Marlins (28-30) during spring training with his power but the outfielder was sent to Double-A Jacksonville for seasoning. He hit .311 with 21 homers and 52 RBIs in 52 games in the minor leagues before being called up for this series.

"I think he's going to be fine," second baseman Dan Uggla said. "He's a very humble kid with a huge amount of talent and I think he's going to continue to work hard. Hopefully, he's going to be able to help us out."

A 2007 second-round draft pick, Stanton's debut is being compared to the one for Florida by a 20-year-old Miguel Cabrera on June 20, 2003. Cabrera is a four-time All-Star.

"The young man is mature and humble and I think he'll handle it just fine," said manager Fredi Gonzalez, who declined to get into where Stanton will play and how he fits into the lineup.

Stanton's debut comes at a key time for the Marlins, who were swept in a three-game series by the New York Mets over the weekend, and have lost six of seven on the road.

Philadelphia (30-26), meanwhile, has scored 29 runs in losing 11 of 15, getting shut out five times in that span. The Phillies turned in another futile effort at the plate in Monday's 3-1 loss to San Diego.

"I don't know what to say," manager Charlie Manuel said. "I want us to come out, have fun, hit some balls and score. We're having a tough time. I've never seen a team go games like this and not score runs."

Chase Utley and Jayson Werth combined to go 0 for 8 on Monday, and 3 for 30 in the four-game series. Utley is batting .140 in the last 15 games with two RBIs and Werth is hitting .125 with four RBIs in the same span.

Both hitters have gone 4 for 19 against Florida this season, with Werth striking out nine times.

The Phillies have captured one of their last seven series - when they took two of three against the Marlins on the road May 28-30 as the teams combined for seven runs.

Marlins starter Chris Volstad (3-6, 4.08 ERA) is 0-4 with a 4.03 ERA over his last five outings. Volstad's four-start losing streak ended Wednesday when he gave up one run over 5 2-3 innings and did not get a decision in a 7-4 loss to Milwaukee.

The right-hander's last loss was to Philadelphia when he gave up three runs over 6 1-3 innings in a 3-2 loss May 28. Volstad, though, is 2-0 with a 2.30 ERA in three career starts at Citizens Bank Park.

Ryan Howard is 8 for 18 with four homers against Volstad, but Utley (.143) and Werth (.071) have struggled.

Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick (3-2, 4.62) has been solid, going 3-1 with a 2.79 ERA in his last six outings. He did not receive a decision Wednesday in a 2-1 loss at Atlanta after giving up one run over seven innings.

Kendrick outdueled Volstad by yielding two unearned runs over six innings at Florida on May 28 to earn the victory. The right-hander improved to 3-2 with a 5.12 ERA in six starts against the Marlins.

Florida slugger Jorge Cantu has given him trouble, going 6 for 12 with two homers.