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Marlins visit Rangers to open quick set

Jun 10, 2014 - 2:49 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Miami Marlins will try to stay in the hunt for National League East supremacy when they invade the Lone Star State Tuesday to open a two-game set with the Texas Rangers.

The Marlins are a half-game behind Atlanta and Washington for the NL East lead and have won five of their last seven games. They salvaged the finale of a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs with Sunday's 4-3 win at Wrigley Field.

Miami went ahead for good in the top of the eighth inning when Christian Yelich scored on a sacrifice fly from Garrett Jones and Giancarlo Stanton crossed the plate on a Pedro Strop wild pitch. Miami then closed the door in the bottom half and in the ninth. Steve Cishek took the mound in the ninth and posted two strikeouts for his 14th save.

Henderson Alvarez tossed the first 5 1/3 innings and allowed two runs -- one earned -- with five K's and no walks. Alvarez left the game with a hip strain not deemed serious.

"I felt like I could still pitch, but for precautionary reasons, they took me out," said Alvarez, who suffered the injury covering first base.

The Marlins are 3-2 on a seven-game road trip and will hand the ball to Tom Koehler on Tuesday. Koehler is 5-5 with a 3.33 earned run average and put an end to a two-game slide with last Wednesday's 5-4 win at Tampa Bay, as he allowed three runs in five innings.

Koehler has given up 13 runs in the past three starts and will face the Rangers for the first time. The right-hander has a 2-3 record in six road starts this season.

Texas will try to get back on track and has lost three in a row and seven of the last 10 games. The Rangers were hammered in Monday's finale of a four-game set versus Cleveland and dropped an embarrassing 17-7 decision.

Indians third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall had a game to remember with three home runs and nine RBI, while Rangers starter Nick Martinez was dealt the loss for giving up eight runs in only two innings. Scott Baker fared no better in relief and was touched for nine runs and 11 hits in five innings.

"He hit three home runs tonight, a double and a single," Rangers manager Ron Washington said of Chisenhall. "I think it was two or three years ago both (Chisenhall) and (Jason) Kipnis came up and he disappeared for a few years. I guess he figured it out, at least against us."

Michael Choice and Robinson Chirinos both homered in the loss.

Texas is 2-5 on a nine-game homestand and will send Colby Lewis to the mound Tuesday. Lewis is 4-4 with a 5.77 earned run average and did not receive a decision his last time out in an 8-6 win over Baltimore on Thursday, when he was touched for five runs in five innings.

Lewis has allowed 17 runs in the past four starts and has never faced the Marlins in his career. The right-hander is 1-3 in five starts in Arlington this season.

Texas and Miami last met in 2011, when the Marlins won two of three games on the road. The Rangers swept a three-game series in south Florida in 2010.