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Marlins-Giants Preview

Jul 29, 2010 - 4:16 PM By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN STATS Senior Writer

Florida (50-51) at San Francisco (58-44), 3:45 p.m. EDT

The San Francisco Giants appear to have a bright future with the battery of rookies Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey.

Bumgarner tries to win his fifth straight start and Posey seeks to extend the longest current hitting streak in the majors to 22 games Thursday as the Giants cap their four-game set with the visiting Florida Marlins.

San Francisco (58-44) has been aided in its playoff push by the stellar efforts of these youngsters. Posey has an NL-high 41 hits this month, and he's batting .440 with six homers and 23 RBIs during his hitting streak - one shy of Hall of Famer Willie McCovey's run in 1959 for the longest by a San Francisco rookie.

He's close to reaching Josh Hamilton's 23-game hitting streak from June 4-30, the longest in the majors this season. This is the seventh streak of 20 or more games in San Francisco history.

Posey will present a target behind the plate for Bumgarner (4-2, 2.43 ERA), who is 4-0 with a 1.35 ERA in his last four outings after allowing two runs over seven innings Saturday in a 10-4 victory at Arizona. All four wins have come on the road.

"Really, I had three pitches going pretty good - fastball, slider and curveball," Bumgarner told the Giants' official website.

This is the second time this year that the left-hander, who turns 21 on Sunday, will pitch at home. He gave up four runs over seven innings in his season debut June 26 in a 4-2 loss to Boston.

San Francisco has won 17 of 21 after a 10-9, 10-inning win Wednesday. The Giants blew a 9-2 lead after six innings before Andres Torres rescued them with a bases-loaded single in the 10th.

Torres and Aaron Rowand have both enjoyed a strong series. Torres is 8 for 14 with four RBIs and Rowand 6 for 11 with three RBIs in the first three games - San Francisco won two.

"This kid's done everything," manager Bruce Bochy said about Torres. "He's waited for this opportunity and he's taking full advantage of it. I can't think where we would be without Andres."

Rowand should be happy to see Anibal Sanchez (7-6, 3.59) on the mound for Florida (50-51) since he's 6 for 7 against him with a homer and two doubles.

Sanchez is 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA in five outings since his last victory June 22. He yielded two runs over six innings and did not get a decision in a 10-5 loss to Atlanta on Saturday.

The right-hander lasted six innings and gave up three runs in his lone career start against the Giants in a 9-6, 12-inning loss May 4.

Marlins slugger Dan Uggla is 6 for 12 with four homers and six RBIs in this series, and his seventh-inning homer Wednesday tied him with Mike Lowell for the franchise record of 143.

"I can't explain it and I'm not going to try to," Uggla said. "I'm going to roll with it and ride it out. I probably never would have thought that I'd be right where I'm at in the Marlins statistical books, but I am and we'll see where it goes."