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Marlins hope to stay hot against Cubs

Jul 14, 2011 - 2:38 PM (Sports Network) - A disastrous June may have doomed the Florida Marlins' season, but don't expect the club to just roll over in the second half.

The streaking Marlins, winners of five in a row, will be tested right out of the gate tonight as they try to avoid a seventh consecutive loss to the Chicago Cubs in the opener of a four-game series at Wrigley Field.

Florida was just two games back of first place at the end of May, but posted a 5-23 record in June, losing a club record-tying 11 straight games at one point and setting a franchise record for the most losses in a single month. July has been a bit better, with the Marlins winning seven of 10 so far, but they still find themselves 14 games out of first place in the National League East.

Though Emilio Bonifacio comes out of the break riding a career-high 12-game hitting streak, the Marlins will need shortstop Hanley Ramirez to rebound from a rough first half. Ramirez is hitting just .242 with eight homers and 37 RBI, but he does have a trio of three-hit games already this month with three homers and 13 RBI.

Ramirez is batting just .255 in his career versus the Cubs in 30 games, while the Marlins have lost six straight to the club. That includes a two-game sweep for Chicago at Florida on May 18-19.

Anibal Sanchez will look to get the Marlins' second half off to a good start with his first victory since June 10. With Josh Johnson sidelined since mid- May with a right shoulder injury, Sanchez has taken over the role of Florida's top starter and is 6-2 through 18 starts this year.

The right-hander, though, did struggle over his final two starts before the break, yielding 12 runs over 7 2/3 innings to push is earned run average from 2.82 to 3.58. Sanchez gave up seven runs over 3 2/3 innings versus Texas on July 1 to take a loss, then lasted just four innings against the Phillies on July 6. The 27-year-old was charged with five runs on six hits, two homers and three walks, but received a no-decision.

Sanchez has faced the Cubs three times in his career, going 1-2 with a 6.91 ERA.

While the Marlins have showed signs of turning things around, the Cubs lost seven of their final 10 games before the All-Star break and are just 37-55 on the season. That has them 12 games back of first place in the NL Central.

"Time away should refresh [us]," said Cubs manager Mike Quade after his team's 9-1 loss to the Pirates on Sunday.

One player who has served as a bright spot for Chicago this year is shortstop Starlin Castro. The 21-year-old is batting .307 on the season to go along with 39 RBI and 49 runs scored.

The Cubs begin a 10-game homestand this evening and will give Matt Garza his 17th start of the season. The righty is 4-7 with a 4.26 ERA and was drilled for seven runs -- six earned -- on eight hits over just two innings against Washington on July 7. Garza earned a no-decision when his offense rallied for a 10-9 win.

Garza, 27, had put together an excellent outing five days earlier, yielding a run over nine innings versus the White Sox. However, he took a 1-0 loss.

Garza is 3-1 with a 5.09 ERA in four career starts versus the Marlins.