The Miami Marlins and Colorado Rockies ended significant droughts in their most recent contests, giving the last-place teams something to be proud of during otherwise disappointing seasons.
Colorado looks to win four in a row for just the second time this season when it opens a four-game series against the visiting Marlins on Thursday night.
Miami (53-65) had been shut out three straight times before Greg Dobbs ended a franchise-record 30-inning scoreless streak with an RBI single in the fourth inning of Wednesday's 9-2 win over Philadelphia.
Dobbs also added a go-ahead solo homer in the sixth to help Mark Buehrle pick up his 10th win for the Marlins, who had scored nine runs in their previous five games.
"The rest of the starters were giving me a hard time because we finally scored on my time - 'It must be nice to get some runs,'" Buehrle said. "It's always nice to get some early runs."
Miami provided enough support for scheduled starter Ricky Nolasco (9-11, 4.90 ERA) to pick up a 7-3 victory over Los Angeles on Saturday, ending his five-start losing streak.
The right-hander tied a season high by allowing nine hits, leaving himself and manager Ozzie Guillen stunned that he was able to pick up the win.
"I think Ricky was surrounded by Houdini because I don't know how he did it," Guillen said. "And David Copperfield tried to help him, too, because it was hard to watch."
Nolasco threw 90 pitches in five innings, though he walked only one after giving up four in each of his previous two starts.
"It's funny how the game goes," Nolasco said. "Sometimes you pitch well enough to win and you lose. Sometimes you have no business being in the game and you just find ways. I was just trying to find a way, limit the damage, and the offense came through to put up some big runs."
Nolasco improved to 6-1 with a 4.60 ERA in seven starts versus the Rockies after allowing four runs in six innings of a 7-6 win May 22.
Colorado (44-71) owns the second-worst record in the NL, but a 7-6 come-from-behind victory over Milwaukee on Wednesday gave the Rockies their first home sweep since taking four games against Houston from May 28-31. They tacked on their season-best fifth straight win the next day over the Dodgers.
Tyler Colvin hit a two-run double in the ninth that scored Eric Young from first Wednesday for Colorado, which had lost 14 of 17 at home entering the series.
"It's pretty exciting right there, especially when you get to watch EY run," Colvin said.
Carlos Gonzalez, batting .391 with two homers, two doubles and a triple during a six-game hitting streak versus the Marlins, went 7 for 10 in the three-game series. He'll look to continue his hot hitting when Alex White takes the mound Thursday.
White (2-6, 5.82) hasn't won since beating the Dodgers on June 3, going 0-3 with a 6.07 ERA in seven starts. He allowed three runs over four innings while not earning a decision in Sunday's 9-6 loss to San Francisco.
The right-hander gave up four runs in six innings of an 8-4 win May 23 in his only career start versus the Marlins, salvaging the finale of a three-game series in Miami.
