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LAD@MIA: Nolasco goes five strong to get the win

Not everything for the Marlins this season has been as seamless as Monday's 12-3 series-opening win against the D-backs.

Plenty has gone wrong for Miami, which entered the season with high expectations after a big-spending winter but now finds itself in the National League East cellar.

"There were great expectations, but we didn't live up to the expectations," Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen said. "Very tough. A lot of trades. A lot of young kids. A lot of injuries."

For the Marlins, Guillen said, "it's been one thing or the other. When we're pitching well, we don't hit." They were able to do both well Monday, and hope to replicate that effort and improve upon their 3-2 record on their current 11-game road trip when they take the field Tuesday night.

Miami will start righty Ricky Nolasco, who is 5-2 with a 4.14 ERA in seven career starts against Arizona. In those games, he averages 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings, and he has held the D-backs to a .173 batting average (18-for-104) with four home runs.

While the Marlins aren't where they pictured they would be when they entered the season, the D-backs remain in the thick of things in the NL playoff picture. Arizona is battling for position in a tight NL West race, and it is still in the hunt for one of the Wild Card berths.

"We all know what we're up against, we all know what we have to do," D-backs manager Kirk Gibson said. "Nothing has to be said. This year is different than last year. Last year was a dramatic turnaround; this year we're established. But we have a good mix of veteran and young guys. They are prepared to do what they have to do."

As the D-backs try to bounce back from Monday's blowout loss, they will turn to righty Trevor Cahill, who has faced the Marlins only once during his career. He took the loss in June 2011 while with the A's after he gave up five runs on nine hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings.

Cahill is coming off a six-inning, one-run effort during his last start, a no-decision against the Cardinals.

Marlins: Turner set to make debut Wednesday
• Right-handed pitcher Jacob Turner, the centerpiece in the package the Marlins received in the Omar Infante/Anibal Sanchez trade with Detroit, will make his Marlins debut in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader.

It's not clear yet how long Turner will remain with the Marlins, though a strong start against the D-backs could earn him a longer stay with the big league club.

"I think we should keep him here to see if we can count on him next year, or exactly what stage he is in," Guillen said. "I don't think they're against him staying. We're trying to figure out how to use him. To keep this kid here not to pitch is not any good. That's why we're having this discussion, and we're putting everything on the table."

D-backs: Bloomquist likely to start rehab this week
• Infielder Willie Bloomquist has been on the 15-day disabled list since Aug. 11 with a back injury. Bloomquist has yet to begin a rehab assignment, but Gibson said that could change soon.

"He'll probably play this week," Gibson said. "I think he's good, the reports are good."

Bloomquist will likely begin rehabbing in the Arizona League before either returning to the D-backs or moving on to a rehab stint in the Minors.

Worth noting
• Carlos Lee's two fourth-inning RBI singles gave him 30 RBIs in 42 games with the Marlins this season. Lee had 29 RBIs in 66 games with the Astros. His 30 RBIs since July 4 lead the Marlins during that span.

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