Sandy Alcantara (9-4, 4.20 ERA) takes the ball for Miami looking to keep his roll going, while Aaron Civale (5-5, 4.92 ERA) is stuck trying to steady an Athletics rotation that's been leaking runs all year. Alcantara's been the stabilizing force in a Marlins rotation that's suddenly relevant again, and this is about as favorable a spot as he'll get all season.
The lineup card only makes things tougher for Oakland's Athletics. Shea Langeliers left Friday's game with a left thumb injury and is day-to-day, and Brent Rooker is done for the year after tearing cartilage in his left knee — a move manager Mark Kotsay called a big loss for a middle-of-the-order bat that produced 30-plus homers each of the last three seasons. Add Jacob Wilson, Zack Gelof and Tyler Soderstrom all banged up on the IL, and this A's lineup is running thin on name recognition.
Miami, meanwhile, is riding the best month in franchise history. The Marlins won 20 games in June — the first team in baseball to hit that mark this year — and outscored opponents 133-80 over the stretch, climbing from eight games under .500 to comfortably over it. Alcantara himself won five straight decisions to open June before cooling slightly, but he's clearly a different pitcher than the one who scuffled early in the year.
- 15-Day-ILAnthony Bender RP — The Marlins placed Bender on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right shin stress reaction.
- 15-Day-ILJanson Junk SP — Junk (shin) allowed one run over 2.2 innings in his first rehab start with Triple-A Jacksonville on Sunday before exiting after being struck on the left wrist by a comebacker, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILJosh Ekness RP — Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said Monday that Ekness is expected to miss approximately six weeks due to a right calf strain, Kyle Sielaff of Marlins.tv reports.
- 60-Day-ILAndrew Nardi RP — The Marlins transferred Nardi (ribcage) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.
- 60-Day-ILRobby Snelling SP — Snelling underwent internal brace surgery Friday to repair a torn UCL in his left elbow.
- 60-Day-ILRonny Henriquez RP — The Marlins placed Henriquez (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.
- 60-Day-ILAdam Mazur SP — The Marlins placed Mazur (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.
- Day-To-DayShea Langeliers C — Langeliers was removed from Friday's game against the Marlins with a left thumb injury, Theo DeRosa of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILBrent Rooker DH — Rooker will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a cartilage tear in his left knee, Jason Burke of Roundtable.io reports.
- 10-Day-ILTyler Soderstrom LF — Soderstrom (hip) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
- 10-Day-ILJacob Wilson SS — Wilson (shoulder) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
- 10-Day-ILZack Gelof 3B — The Athletics placed Gelof on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a right hand contusion.
- 60-Day-ILDenzel Clarke CF — Clarke (hamstring) has started to play catch and has also begun a swinging progression, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILLuis Severino SP — The Athletics transferred Severino (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sunday.
- 60-Day-ILBrooks Kriske RP — Kriske (shoulder) began a throwing progression Thursday, MLB.com reports.
The Athletics have shown occasional life — a 7-1 beatdown of the Dodgers was a nice moment last week — but it's been mostly one step forward, four steps back. Their home pitching has been the story of the season for the wrong reasons, and until that changes, series like this one are going to keep going sideways in a hurry.