Can Pablo Lopez and the Marlins win at Cleveland?

Pablo Lopez and the Miami Marlins hope to start another winning streak tonight as they travel to Cleveland for an interleague series against the Indians.

If you are an opposing hitter, you don’t want to face Marlins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez through the first run through the starting lineup. The lefty has been dominant through the first nine batters. After that, things get a little dicey.

As Miami travels to Cleveland to face the Indians in their first interleague series of the season, the visitors hope they can start another winning streak and capture yet another series in a row.

Lopez, who is 1-3 on the season, hasn’t had run support either to back him up on the mound this season. The youngster hasn’t given up a run in the first three innings this season, a trend that bodes well for Miami if the lineup can find a way to score runs.

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Miami was blanked 5-0 in the final game of the series against the Washington Nationals on Sunday.

The second time through the lineup, Lopez’s ERA is 10.80, but he does have 23 strikeouts in 20 innings to his credit.

In Sunday’s loss, starter Trevor Richards has beaten by the very pitch he has used effectively this season. His changeup was a cause for concern as the Nationals collectively waited for their pitches.

"Per MLB.com, “The right-hander threw 36 of them against the Nationals, and induced 13 swinging strikes.”"

Lopez added some power and velocity to his pitches this offseason, which was apparent in Spring Training. He will need to harness that velocity against the American League team and an extra batter in the lineup with the use of the designated hitter.

Lopez kicks things off for the visiting team tonight with Sandy Alcantara and then Caleb Smith getting the ball in this three-game set. The Marlins then travel to Philadelphia for a four-game series before Cleveland makes their way to Miami at Marlins Park.

Smith is the only undefeated starter in the Marlins rotation at 2-0 this season.

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The Indians will counter tonight with Carlos Carrasco, who has not had the best of luck this season, either. He has a 2-2 record with a 7.41 ERA. He has shown signs of improvement, however. In his last outing, he held Seattle to three hits while striking out 12 batters.

The first pitch tonight is at 6:10 PM.

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