The Miami Marlins are certainly happy to have Brian Anderson’s bat back in the lineup.
Anderson, who is batting .417 with two homers in the three games since returning from a two-month stay on the injured list, will lead the Marlins against the host Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night.
It’s a brief series — just two games — and the Marlins will go for the sweep after they beat the Orioles 7-3 on Tuesday night.
Anderson, who had been out with a shoulder injury, was one of three Marlins to homer on Tuesday, joining Lewin Diaz and Sandy Leon.
Diaz, a rookie first baseman, was promoted from the minors in time for Tuesday’s game and now has three homers in 22 major league at-bats this season. Bringing him up allowed the Marlins to use first baseman Jesus Aguilar as the designated hitter in the American League park.
“(Diaz) is looking better each time we see him,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said.
Wednesday’s pitching matchup is set to feature a pair of right-handers: Miami’s Jordan Holloway (2-3, 3.21 ERA) and Baltimore’s Jorge Lopez (2-12, 5.84).
Lopez, whose 12 losses are the most in the majors this year, hasn’t won since beating the Cleveland Indians on June 6, allowing three runs in five innings in that contest.
The Orioles are 6-14 when Lopez starts this year but have victories in his two most recent appearances.
Although Lopez did not face the Marlins when the teams split two games in Miami earlier this year, he is familiar with this franchise. In two career appearances against the Marlins, he is 1-1 with a 1.08 ERA.
In 16 career games at Baltimore’s Camden Yards, Lopez is 4-6 with a 4.46 ERA.
Lopez, a 28-year-old Puerto Rico native and a Milwaukee Brewers second-round pick in 2011, still has the belief of his coaches and teammates.
“Jorge has electric stuff — two-seam fastball, four-seam fastball, curve, slider and change,” Orioles catcher Austin Wynns said. “What it comes down to is executing every pitch.”
Lopez’s two-seam fastball averages 95.1 mph, and some observers believe he could move to the Orioles bullpen next year. His 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings are on pace to be his career-best mark. However, his 3.9 walks rate is higher than his 3.4 career mark.
As for Holloway, he has never faced Baltimore in his 13 career appearances (three starts). He has a 0.75 ERA as a reliever but a 9.31 mark in his three starts.
In addition, Holloway — Miami’s 20th-round pick in 2014 — has struggled on the road (4.58 ERA) as opposed to home (1.29 in five appearances).
Perhaps the biggest positive trend for Holloway is his 1.38 ERA in 13 innings this month.
The Marlins, who have won three straight games, are hoping Holloway can follow the example of right-hander Sandy Alcantara, who pitched six innings and allowed just three runs on Tuesday in his first start since July 16.
Alcantara had been on the bereavement list after his mother passed away.
“I hope she was watching,” Alcantara said of his emotional performance on Tuesday. “I just tried to focus, pitch by pitch.”