Tampa Bay Rays @ Miami Marlins Game Preview: Thursday, May 30th 7:10 PM EST (Game 54)

May 28, 2013; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Desmond Jennings (8) is congratulated by Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon (70) after he hit the game winning RBI against the Miami Marlins at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Miami Marlins 7-6. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Tampa Bay Rays will look to finish off a four-game, home-away split series from the Miami Marlins. Tampa has taken the first three games of the series, including a 3-1 victory last night.

Originally slated to be Tampa Bay Rays 2013 ace’s spot in the roation, the Rays made the decision to start rookie Alex Colome. Colome will make his big league debut after getting recalled from Triple-A Wednesday. Alex had originally been scheduled to pitch out of the bullpen, but a finger nail injury to Alex Cobb caused the Rays to shuffle their rotation.

The Marlins will counter with their de-facto ace for 2013, Ricky Nolasco. Nolasco has actually pitched well of late after starting the season slow. In his last two starts, Nolasco has struck out 17 in 15 2/3 innings. He has only allowed two runs and walked one batter in that span.

Probable Starters

May 28, 2013; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Miami Marlins pitcher Ricky Nolasco (47) in the dugout against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

2013 stats
11/11Games/Games Started—-
69.0Innings Pitched—-
3.65Earned Run Averages (ERA)—-
3.31Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP)—-
56Strikeouts—-
14Walks—-
Career vs. opponent
30.1Innings Pitched
27Strikeouts
7.71Earned Run Average

February 21, 2013; Port Charlotte, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Alex Colome (37) poses for a picture during photo day at Charlotte Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Marlins Lineup

LineupPlayerCurrent wOBAProj. wOBA (Rest of Season)
1Chris Coghlan.323.304
2Placido Polanco.252.278
3Derek Dietrich
.308.303
4Marcell Ozuna
.352.307
5Justin Ruggiano.302.318
6Greg Dobbs
.251.273
7Adeiny Hechavarria.248.279
8Rob Brantly.262.293

The Marlins will roll with the same lineup, something that has been a rarity for the 2013 season. For the time being, it looks like Chris Coghlan has stolen the left field starting role from Juan Pierre. However, if he cools off, expect to start seeing Pierre again.

Bold Prediction: Ricky Nolasco fires off his third straight strong start, striking out eight Rays in 7 innings of work. He allows just one run on three hits and walks one hitter. The Marlins are able to provide Nolasco just enough offense to squeak out a win. Marlins win 4-1.