Barry Zito has been strong both at home this season and in his career against the Marlins and will lead the San Francisco Giants into the third test of a four-game set with Miami Saturday at AT&T Park.
Zito is 4-1 with a 2.06 earned run average in nine home starts and sports a 5-1 mark with a 2.45 ERA in eight career starts against the Marlins. The 2002 AL Cy Young Award winner, though, is 1-4 in his last four decisions and did not factor in the outcome of a 5-3 loss to San Diego on Monday even though he pitched well through 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs.
The left-hander will try to even his 4-5 record in 14 starts and has a 4.67 ERA in that span. San Francisco has lost each of Zito's last three outings.
San Francisco is counting on Zito to try and solve the Marlins after Friday's 6-3 loss in the second portion of this series. After losing Thursday's series opener, the defending World Series champion Giants failed to capitalize on 11 hits and lost for the fifth time in seven tries.
Tim Lincecum pitched well in the no-decision and held Miami to three runs over seven innings. Jake Dunning, though, allowed two runs in the eighth to absorb the loss.
Gregor Blanco finished with three hits and Hunter Pence went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
"We just had a hard time getting that last out tonight," said Giants manager Bruce Bochy.
The Giants have struggled on this seven-game homestand to the tune of a 2-3 record and are three games behind Arizona for the NL West lead. In injury news for the Giants, left fielder Andres Torres left Friday's game in the sixth inning with a bruised right knee and is day-to-day. X-rays were negative.
"It was really sore," Torres told the club's website. "I'm going to put some ice on it and see how it feels tomorrow."
Torres is batting .270 with two homers and 15 RBI this season.
Miami has won four of its last six games and looks for a series victory Saturday at AT&T Park. The club is aiming for its third three-game winning streak of the season, having done so from April 28-30 and May 31-June 2.
The Marlins grabbed a 2-1 win in Thursday's opener by the Bay, then doubled up the hosts in the second test. They rallied from a 3-1 deficit to plate five unanswered runs and received both an RBI triple and a home run from Logan Morrison. Marcell Ozuna also drove in two runs.
"They made a little run at the end like you knew they would," said Marlins manager Mike Redmond. "We were fortunate enough to have a cushion. It got a little hairy at the end. They crowd got into it and it was fun."
A.J. Ramos pitched a flawless seventh inning to pick up the win and Steve Cishek escaped trouble in the ninth to notch his 12th save. Ricky Nolasco allowed three runs in 5 2/3 innings in the no-decision.
Getting the call for the Marlins Saturday will be Jacob Turner, who hasn't posted a decision in his last three appearances. In Monday's 3-2 win at Arizona, Turner was reached for two runs and six hits over five innings with five strikeouts and three walks.
Turner, a right-hander, is 1-0 with a 2.16 ERA in four starts and has never faced the Giants. Turner has never won two games in his career.
The Marlins, who haven't lost in San Francisco since July 28, 2010, claimed five of their seven meetings with Giants last year. They haven't lost a series in San Francisco since they dropped two of three in July 2009.
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