Marlins 5 - 4 Rays
Final
  for this game

Marlins visit Rays hoping to find success on road

Jun 4, 2014 - 2:48 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The road hasn't been too kind for the Miami Marlins, but they'll be headed out of town for the next seven games, starting with back-to- back matchups with the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.

The Marlins have an 8-17 road mark as opposed to a 22-11 record at home, where they swept a quick two-game set with the Rays. Miami, which will also visit the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers, posted a 1-0 victory on Tuesday behind Henderson Alvarez's gem on the mound.

Alvarez went the distance and allowed eight hits with five strikeouts and no walks to even his record at 3-3. The only run of the game was scored in the fifth inning, when Garrett Jones scored on a bases-loaded walk to Christian Yelich.

"Sometimes you have to win games, 1-0," said Marlins manager Mike Redmond. "We needed one of these."

Alvarez has not surrendered a run in 21 straight innings. The right-hander is the first pitcher to ever have three consecutive shutouts in interleague play.

Miami has won two in a row following a weekend sweep by the Atlanta Braves and are 1 1/2 games behind those NL East rivals for the division lead.

Tom Koehler gets the start for the Marlins Wednesday and he is 4-5 with a 3.18 ERA in 11 starts. Koehler has lost two straight and three of four starts, including Friday's 3-2 setback to Atlanta. He allowed all three runs in seven innings of work.

Koehler, a right-hander, has allowed 10 runs in his past two appearances and lost his only start against Tampa Bay last May. He is 1-3 in five road starts.

Tampa Bay lost every game on its recent eight-game road trip and is winless in the last 10 away from home. Now the Rays are back at the Trop for eight games versus Miami, Seattle and St. Louis.

The Rays were held in check by Alvarez on Tuesday. James Loney and Yunel Escobar both had two hits and starting pitcher Chris Archer performed well in defeat, allowing the lone run in the fifth inning. Archer went seven innings, scattered five hits, struck out eight and walked two.

"It's frustrating," said Archer. "We're doing everything we can and the ball is not bouncing our way."

The Rays, who will play 18 of the next 21 games at the Trop, are in the midst of their longest losing streak since dropping 11 straight in 2009 and have been outscored by a 52-19 margin during the skid.

Tampa Bay has won four in a row at home.

Taking the mound for the Rays Wednesday will be left-hander David Price. Price has a 4-4 record and a 4.27 ERA in 12 starts and is 0-1 in his previous three trips to the mound. He has posted two straight no-decisions and tossed seven innings of two-run ball in a 3-2 loss at Boston on Friday.

Price, the 2012 AL Cy Young Award winner, is 2-2 in six home starts and 1-3 with a 4.26 ERA in three career starts against the Marlins.

Miami lost all four meetings with Tampa Bay last season. The Marlins ended a five-game slide in this series Monday and were winless in the previous six meetings with the Rays at home. Tampa Bay is still 13-3 in the last 16 matchups between the clubs.






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