After a rather difficult series against the Washington Nationals, the Arizona Diamondbacks will face the Miami Marlins on Tuesday to open the first of a two-series road trip.

There are a few things to know before the series begins, so let’s go over them:

After losing two out of three games to the Nationals, the Diamondbacks come to Miami with a 34-31 record, which is good for second in the National League West Division behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

After going 10-1 from May 17-27, it looked as if Arizona was coming into its own. However, over their last 10 games, the Diamondbacks are only 3-7 as offensive struggles have come to the forefront.

Meanwhile, at 31-35, the Marlins’ record is nearly opposite of their incoming opponent. Miami has fared better recently after winning five of its last six games, which included a sweep of the Nationals and a series win over the Tampa Bay Rays. Currently, the Marlins are fourth in the National League East.

As previously demonstrated, the Diamondbacks’ offensive woes have affected them negatively. Arizona was able to notch a 5-1 win against Washington to end the series, but prior to that, it was outscored by the Nationals 20-2 over two games and had just eight hits compared to 12 strikeouts in that stretch.

Over their 3-7 stretch, the most runs the Diamondbacks have been able to score in a game is six, and the struggles of Ketel Marte in June have highlighted the struggles at the plate. Conversely, things have been going better for the Marlins.

After a five-game losing streak in which its own offense was faltering, Miami swept the Nationals by a combined score of 18-7 over three games. The series win over the Rays was done much more conservatively at the plate, but the Marlins still produced enough to win despite being outscored in the series, 10-8.

Taking the mound on Tuesday for the Diamondbacks will be right-hander Zac Gallen, who is coming off a rather rough outing against the Dodgers in which he allowed nine hits, four earned runs (one home run) and two walks while only striking out one batter over five innings of work.

Gallen earned the losing decision against the Dodgers and fell to 3-5 on the season with a 5.32 ERA. For the Marlins, right-hander Max Meyer will take the hill.

Over 13 starts, Meyer has worked his way to a 6-0 record and a 2.81 ERA. He is coming off a star against Washington on June 3 in which he went seven innings and struck out seven batters while allowing two hits, an earned run and two walks.

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