Skidding veteran Edwin Jackson looks for a second win in his 10th career meeting with the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night when the Chicago Cubs host them in the second of three games at Wrigley Field.
The 29-year-old Jackson has won just once in seven career decisions against the Marlins across nine outings, while posting a 6.39 earned run average and allowing a .286 opposition batting average.
He's not won overall since July 31 and was 0-3 in five August starts while his 2013 ERA rose from 4.65 to 4.90.
He gave up two earned runs on six hits in 6 2/3 innings of his last start while dropping a 4-0 decision to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Cubs, who've lost each of his last five starts, have been outscored 35-18 in that stretch, including one game with one run and the aforementioned shutout in Los Angeles.
Jackson is 4-6 in 11 starts at Wrigley this season with a 4.43 ERA.
He faces Bronx-born righty Tom Koehler, who picked up his most recent win a day after Jackson on Aug. 1.
The 27-year-old improved to 3-6 on the season with a 3-0 shutout of the New York Mets that day, but has subsequently gone 0-3 in five starts in which the Marlins are 1-4.
He dropped a 9-0 verdict at Washington in his last outing on Aug. 29, allowing six runs on seven hits in five innings as his ERA for the season climbed to 4.72.
It was 4.34 after the defeat of the Mets.
Koehler got a no-decision in one career relief outing against Chicago, in which he pitched a scoreless inning.
On Monday, Henderson Alvarez hit a three-run homer and tossed six strong innings to guide the Marlins to a 4-3 win.
"He hit that ball good. He crushed that ball," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said.
Alvarez (3-3), who allowed three runs on seven hits over six innings, gave Miami a 4-3 lead with his three-run blast in the second inning. The right- hander went on to limit the Cubs to just three more hits before he left the game with hamstring tightness following the sixth inning.
Christian Yelich added a solo homer for the Marlins, who have won two straight on the heels of a six-game losing skid.
Steve Cishek worked a scoreless ninth to notch his 29th save of the season.
Anthony Rizzo, Dioner Navarro and Nate Schierholtz drove in one run apiece for the Cubs, who had won two straight.
Travis Wood (8-11) was pegged with the loss after giving up all four runs on nine hits over seven innings.
"It was kind of a funny outing. He couldn't get the left-handed hitter out in their lineup and he couldn't get the pitcher out," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said.
The Marlins entered the week with a slim 82-81 lead in the all-time series between the teams, though the Cubs won three of four when they played in Miami from April 25-28.
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