The Miami Marlins got power from some unexpected sources to continue their recent surge. They'll look to stay hot on Friday in the opener of a four-game series versus the San Diego Padres.
The Marlins have allowed three runs or fewer in 10 straight games, going 7-3 in that span. Overall, Miami is 13-9 in June after going just 14-41 over the season's first two months.
A two-game sweep over visiting Minnesota pushed Miami's current winning streak to three straight contests, matching a season high. Placido Polanco and Jeff Mathis helped key Wednesday's 5-3 triumph over the Twins, with each hitting a two-run homer.
It marked the first home runs of the season for both Polanco and Mathis and Polanco finished with two hits while scoring twice.
"It was good to see Polly get a big hit," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. "I know he's been grinding a little bit and wanting to contribute. He did tonight in a big way. That was a big home run."
Ricky Nolasco hopes the big hits keep coming Friday in his 17th start of the season after a lack of run support cost him a victory over the Padres back on May 8.
Nolasco fell to 4-4 with a 4.69 earned run average in his career versus San Diego despite holding the club to just a run on four hits over seven innings. He also struck out nine in the 1-0 decision.
The 30-year-old righty did not factor into the outcome of his last start, a 6-3 win at San Francisco on Friday. Nolasco was charged with three runs on nine hits and two walks over 5 2/3 innings, leaving him 4-7 on the season with a 3.68 ERA.
The Padres begin a 10-game road trip with this series after losing the final two contests of a three-game set with the visiting Philadelphia Phillies. It marked San Diego's first series loss at home since May 20-22.
The Padres held a late 5-2 lead in Wednesday's finale, but allowed a run in the seventh before the Phillies got a game-tying two-run homer in the eighth frame. Philadelphia eventually earned the 7-5 victory in 13 innings thanks to a pair of errors by second baseman Logan Forsythe.
Reliever Tommy Layne began the 13th frame by hitting Philadelphia's Chase Utley, then recorded a pair of outs before Domonic Brown worked a walk. Ben Revere followed with a grounder to Forsythe, who couldn't field the ball cleanly as Utley scored. Brown also raced home on the miscue and Forsythe's throw to the plate was off the mark.
"This was something out of the norm," said Padres manager Bud Black, whose club made three errors in the game. "We place a lot of pride on our defense. But this is a human game and guys are not invincible to errors. They happen."
Chris Denorfia hit a two-run homer for the Padres, who have lost four of five.
Edinson Volquez draws the start for San Diego and is coming off a setback to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday. He took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, but ended up getting charged with five runs -- two earned -- on a pair of hits and a season-high seven walks.
"He pitched so well with the fastball coming in. He had a few walks before, but it looked as though his fastball was just missing. He just couldn't land a strike in there," Black said of Volquez.
Volquez, a 29-year-old righty, fell to 5-6 with a 5.67 ERA in 15 starts this season and will look to remain perfect in his career versus the Marlins. In five previous meetings, he is 4-0 with a 1.74 ERA.
The Padres swept a three-game set versus the Marlins in San Diego from May 6-8, outscoring Miami 11-1.
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