Preview: Marlins try to solve All-Star Alex Wood in Game 2 vs. Dodgers
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TV: FOX Sports Florida
Time: Pregame coverage begins at 6:30 p.m.
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MIAMI -- The Los Angeles Dodgers, on an incredible run with 27 victories over their past 31 games, just keep getting better.
Owners of the best record in the majors at 62-29, the Dodgers won their seventh straight game on Friday night, beating the Miami Marlins 6-4 in thrilling fashion.
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"We seem to have a knack for the heroics late," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
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Indeed they do, and the Dodgers will go for their fourth consecutive series win on Saturday when they again face the Marlins.
Imagine a boxer getting knocked down three times, and all three times rising up at the count of nine. And imagine that same boxer -- bloodied and bruised -- swinging hard and connecting for a knockout.
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That's what the Dodgers did on Friday as they were down to their last strike three times in the ninth inning, getting a two-out single followed by a walk and then Yasiel Puig's monster three-run homer to left-center.
First-time All-Star Alex Wood, a left-hander who is having a career year with a 10-0 record and a 1.67 ERA, will face Marlins right-hander Jose Urena (7-3, 3.54 ERA) on Saturday.
Urena has been pretty good against the Dodgers in just three appearances, including two starts. He is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA this year and 1-1 with a 0.59 ERA over his brief career against L.A.
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Overall, Urena has won six of his past seven decisions, and he has four quality starts during that span.
Wood, meanwhile, beat the Marlins 7-2 on May 19. Over his career, Wood has faced the Marlins 12 times, including nine starts, and he is 5-3 with a 3.00 ERA.
The Marlins are hitting just .243 against Wood, who has a 1.11 WHIP with 52 strikeouts and 13 walks.
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"He's been even better than that overall this season, holding batters to a paltry .174 batting average with a 0.89 WHIP. He also has 97 strikeouts and 22 walks, and the 26-year-old s improvement is a big reason why the Dodgers are in first place.
Wood hasn't lost to the Marlins since 2014, and he is 5-0 against them since his most recent defeat.
Clearly, the Dodgers are the favored team in this matchup. That's a tribute to Wood but also his team.
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The Dodgers, after all, are just the fourth team in the past 40 years to win at least 60 teams before the All-Star Game.
Meanwhile, the Marlins (41-47) suffered a damaging loss on Friday. The Marlins have very little margin of error. If they don't put together a significant win streak in the next two weeks, the chances are strong that management will trade away several of the team's veterans.
Closer A.J. Ramos, who gave up the game-winning homer to Puig on Friday, took the loss hard, knowing that repercussions are real. He will likely be on the trade block later this month.
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Ramos was asked if he was "rusty" due to the All-Star break.
"I'm not as sharp with those days off," Ramos said, "But I was one strike away. I was sharp enough for that, but I just couldn't get that last out."