Miami MarlinsMiami Marlins vs. San Francisco GiantsSan Francisco Giants Pick Center

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Marlins, Giants meet amid rough stretchesFLMTwo teams on countdowns to milestones -- one negative and one positive -- open a three-game series Friday night when the Miami Marlins visit the San Francisco Giants.Both clubs have struggled to start the week, with the Marlins losing four straight to the Milwaukee Brewers to cap a 1-6 homestand, while the Giants were losing three of four to the Pittsburgh Pirates to open a seven-game run at home.The losing streak has dropped the Marlins (51-95) within five defeats of their first 100-loss season since 2013 with 16 games remaining.Meanwhile, with two straight setbacks to conclude their series against the Pirates, the Giants (70-77) have temporarily stalled manager Bruce Bochy's bid to reach 2,000 wins before he retires at season's end. Bochy sits at 1,996 with 15 games remaining.The Marlins' Sandy Alcantara (5-12, 4.04) and Giants' Tyler Beede (4-9, 5.33) form the scheduled pitching matchup in the series opener in a rematch of rookies coming off impressive outings.Alcantara will have to deal with a potential post-birthday hangover, having celebrated his 24th with a four-hit shutout in a 9-0 win over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.The shutout was his second of the season, making him the first Marlins rookie since Dontrelle Willis in 2003 to earn the distinction."You could see it early," Marlins manager Don Mattingly told reporters after the 102-pitch gem. "You knew you had a shot as this thing kept going that he had a chance to finish it." Alcantara also shut out the New York Mets in May.Two starts after that, he was nearly as brilliant at home against Beede and the Giants, blanking them on two hits over six innings. But five walks helped drive his pitch count up to 98, and he was pulled before he could get a decision in a 3-1 loss.He also pitched against the Giants in his major league debut for the St. Louis Cardinals in September 2017, allowing one run and two hits in two-thirds of an inning in relief.His career record against San Francisco is 0-0 with a 1.35 ERA.Beede did not get a decision in the May meeting in Miami, either, although he limited the Marlins to one run in six innings. It was his only career meeting with the National League East club.Like Alcantara, he's also coming off a scoreless effort. Against the Dodgers in Los Angeles on Saturday, he went five innings, allowing four hits to pick up the win."It was one of the most fun games I've ever caught," Giants veteran catcher Stephen Vogt gushed to reporters afterward.Both teams finish the season with a tough schedule after this weekend.The Marlins' last four series are all against playoff contenders -- the Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Nationals, the Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, while the Giants go on the road next week to play the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves before finishing at home against the Colorado Rockies and the Dodgers.The Marlins won two of three in the earlier head-to-head in Miami.--Field Level Media

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