Miami Marlins vs. Pittsburgh Pirates: Game 68 Thread and Ichthyomancy

Get out the broom breakers, because the Miami Marlins are looking to bust up a sweep.

The Fish are looking to avoid the sweep at the hands of the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates as the teams wrap up their three-game series. It will be Henderson Alvarez on the mound for Miami, as the eccentric groundballer looks to follow up on his latest masterpiece. He'll face off against Vance Worley.

Pitching Matchup

At some point, someone out there is going to have to respect Henderson Alvarez's game a little. His work on the mound in 2014 has been a notch or so better than his previous stuff last year, when he recovered from the ugly 2012 season in Toronto. Last time out, he went 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball with five strikeouts and no walks to his name, but left the game early with a hip strain. The injury was not serious however and he's back on the mound today.

The Pirates counter with Vance Worley as the team continues to search for options in the starting rotation. Worley will make his first Major League start since his awful stint in Minnesota last year, during which he posted a 7.21 ERA and 5.53 FIP.

Lineup

Christian Yelich remains out with his back strain, as he is still day-to-day with the injury suffered in the first inning of Friday night's game. The rest of the lineup looks essentially the same as always for the Marlins.

The Pirates still host the murderer's row of outfielders at the top of the lineup, but the Fish need to take advantage of an ugly bottom of the order for the Bucs.

Notes

- Can Miami avoid the sweep? They are getting the worst starter they've faced this series while throwing out one of their best.

- Will Alvarez suffer another strain as he acrobatically makes a defensive play or swings out of his shoes at the plate?

Bold Prediction: Marlins def. Pirates 5-2