Hot Marlins ready for finale with reeling Giants

The Miami Marlins are actually hot.

Despite having the worst record in the National League, the Marlins have won nine of their past 12 games. After winning just one of their first 14 series, they have won three of their past four sets.

That includes the current three-game series against the San Francisco Giants. Miami clinched the series on Wednesday with a 4-2 win.

"We're doing a good job on the mound, defense -- all the things you need to do," said Neil Walker, who had the go-ahead, pinch-hit RBI double on Wednesday against the Giants. "We're scoring enough runs. We are playing much better than we were previously in the season. We're hoping to carry this through the rest of the year."

Meanwhile, the Giants have lost seven straight games.

"We'll come out of this," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "We're not a team that scores a lot of runs. We play it tight. We have to get the bats going."

Thursday's series finale will feature a battle of right-handers: Sandy Alcantara for Miami and Tyler Beede for San Francisco. Beede will be recalled from the minors to make the start.

Alcantara (2-5, 4.50 ERA) has faced the Giants just once, and that was back in 2017, when he was a reliever. He allowed one run in two-thirds of an inning in that appearance.

A 23-year-old from the Dominican Republic, Alcantara has been inconsistent this season. His two most recent starts are a perfect example. He threw a two-hit shutout to beat the New York Mets on May 19, striking out eight and walking one.

However, he followed that up by allowing five runs, four earned, in five innings on May 25, losing to the Washington Nationals.

Alcantara has an electric fastball but has yet to develop his off-speed pitches, and that has led to his inconsistency. Out of 10 outings, he has just two quality starts ... but in those two he allowed no runs in 17 innings.

Beede (0-1, 13.50 ERA) has not pitched in the majors since May 14, when he was used as a reliever and allowed one run in 2 1/3 innings.

In his only start of the season, he allowed seven hits, two walks and eight runs (seven earned) in 2 1/3 innings at Cincinnati on May 3. Overall, Beede has made just five major league appearances, including three starts. His career record is 0-2 with a 10.67 ERA.

He has never faced Miami.

The Giants are hoping that Beede will live up to his minor league numbers, which have been promising this year, including a 2.34 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP.

He will face a hot Marlins lineup that includes catcher Jorge Alfaro, who scored the go-ahead run on Walker's double on Wednesday and went 4-for-4. It was the first four-hit game of his career.

Marlins rookie center fielder Harold Ramirez, who has been impressive since making his debut on May 11, went 1-for-4 with one RBI and is batting .400. He has a nine-game hit streak.

In addition, second baseman Starlin Castro hit a triple in the eighth inning. It was Miami's first triple of the season, making the Marlins the last team in the National League to get their first three-bagger.

--Field Level Media