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Marlins continue home set with D'Backs

Jun 11, 2011 - 3:01 PM (Sports Network) - Puerto Rican veteran Javier Vazquez can turn an eight-game losing streak into a two-game win streak tonight when the Florida Marlins continue a four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Sun Life Stadium.

The Marlins entered Friday's opener with eight consecutive losses, but flipped the script when Logan Morrison and Mike Stanton each walloped two-run home runs in a 6-4 win.

John Buck also homered and Emilio Bonifacio added two doubles for the victors.

Anibal Sanchez (6-1) tossed 6 2/3 innings to pick up his sixth win of the year for Florida, giving up only three runs on five hits while fanning eight Diamondbacks and walking none.

Xavier Nady and Miguel Montero smacked homers, while Stephen Drew chipped in an RBI single for Arizona, which has lost six of its last 10.

Joe Saunders (3-6) pitched six innings in defeat, surrendering five runs on 10 hits while striking out three and walking one.

Steve Cishek tossed a scoreless ninth to pick up his first big-league save.

Vazquez last recorded a victory four starts ago on May 21, when he tossed seven scoreless innings for a 3-0 interleague blanking of Tampa Bay.

The 34-year-old is 0-1 with a pair of no-decisions since, including a six- inning stint against the Diamondbacks on June 1 in a game Arizona won, 6-5.

The Marlins are 5-7 in the 12 games he's started.

Vazquez is 5-3 in 16 career starts against Arizona with a 4.05 earned run average in 102 1/3 innings.

The Diamondbacks turn to righty Ian Kennedy, who looks for a return to the winning side of the ledger for the first time since May 25.

The 26-year-old was 1-1 on the season after a 15-5 loss to St. Louis on April 13 before reeling off five straight victories between April 20 and May 25.

His run ended with a 5-2 loss to the Marlins in the desert on May 31, when he was touched for five hits and three runs in five innings.

He allowed five hits and a run in seven innings of his most recent start, a game Arizona lost, 9-4, on June 5 against Washington.

The Diamondbacks are 8-5 in the 13 games he's started this season.

Arizona, which won 15 of 17 games from May 14-30, took two of three meetings with the Marlins from May 30-June 1, but the teams have split their last six overall meetings.