Preview: Chris O'Grady makes MLB debut for Marlins against Giants

Published Jul. 9, 2017 1:09 a.m. ET

The Sports Xchange

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SAN FRANCISCO -- Miami Marlins left-hander Chris O'Grady will make his major-league debut Saturday when he duels San Francisco Giants veteran Jeff Samardzija on the second night of a three-game series.

The Marlins opened the series on a positive note Friday night, riding the impressive pitching of Dan Straily and home runs by Giancarlo Stanton and J.T. Realmuto to a 6-1 victory.

O'Grady was promoted from Triple-A New Orleans before Friday's game, taking the roster spot of right-hander Edinson Volquez, who was placed on the 10-day disabled list with tendinitis in his left knee.

The 27-year-old was 3-5 with a 3.29 ERA in 12 games, including nine starts, for New Orleans this season.

The former high school quarterback from New York is replacing left-hander Jeff Locke in the Miami rotation. Locke was designated for assignment Tuesday, one day after he was bombed for 11 runs in 2 2/3 innings by the St. Louis Cardinals.

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound O'Grady suffered a similar fate in April when he was released by the Los Angeles Angels after spending five seasons in their minor-league system. He landed with the Marlins in May.

"I like guys that have worked their way through and had to battle to get here," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said of O'Grady. "It's an opportunity. We look at our starting pitching in general and this is just a good chance for him to come up and show us what he can do."

O'Grady surely would benefit from the type of support the Marlins gave Straily on Friday. He had a 4-0 lead before taking the mound for the bottom of the first inning.

The Marlins banged out 16 hits in the game, including 12 against Giants starter Matt Moore in 3 1/3 innings.

History says that's not likely to happen against Samardzija, who beat the Marlins both times he saw them last season, allowing one run and nine hits in 13 1/3 innings.

He has gone 5-1 with a 3.43 ERA in 17 games, including eight starts, against the Marlins in his career.

Samardzija will take the mound on a two-game winning streak, having beaten Colorado and Pittsburgh in his last two starts.

He hasn't been beaten since suffering his ninth loss on June 16, having allowed seven runs and 18 hits in 19 1/3 innings during that stretch.

Samardzija won't have the offensive support of one of the Giants' top hitters, left fielder Austin Slater, who suffered a right hip injury while running out a ground ball in the eighth inning of Friday's loss.

The rookie is expected to be placed on the disabled list Saturday.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy felt worse for Slater than he did for his team after Friday's one-sided loss.

"That's a bad break for the kid, and for us," Bochy said. "I mean, he was doing a nice job out there. But he's going to be down for a little while. I can't tell you how long."