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SD@MIA: Eovaldi throws 5 1/3 frames of one-run ball

Marlins right-hander Nathan Eovaldi's transition to the National League East hasn't been as smooth as he would like it to be since he was traded from the Dodgers.

In four starts with Miami, Eovaldi is 2-2 with a 4.67 ERA, but he has struggled a bit with his command. He has thrown a total of just 12 innings in his last three starts while walking 10 and giving up nine runs.

"I feel like I haven't been pitching the best," Eovaldi said. "My offspeed hasn't been as in control as I'd like it to be. Same with my fastball command. I feel like I need to locate the ball a lot better than I have been."

All three of those starts have been against NL East teams. When he takes the mound Saturday at Coors Field, he'll be going against a slightly more familiar foe from his former division -- the Rockies. That doesn't mean things will get much easier for him or the Marlins. Eovaldi is 0-2 with a 6.52 ERA in two career starts against Colorado.

While Eovaldi will be making just his fifth start for the Marlins, the Rockies will be starting righty Tyler Chatwood, who is making his fourth start of the year. He began the season in Colorado's bullpen and spent much of the season in the Minors before recently joining the rotation.

Chatwood has come out victorious in each of his last two starts, and was impressive in six innings during his last outing. He gave up two runs -- one earned -- on four hits and no walks. That performance followed up a five-shutout-inning effort in his previous start.

"Tyler Chatwood did a terrific job his last time out, going through six innings," Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. "There has been a learning curve there, a very positive one for some of our young people to gravitate toward and embrace. ... Throwing strike one is a pretty good lesson to learn."

Marlins: Bonifacio to play center field exclusively
• A week ago, Ozzie Guillen hinted at the idea of Emilio Bonifacio playing exclusively in center field. On Friday, he made the decision official.

Guillen said when Bonifacio, who has been sidelined since Aug. 4 with a sprained left thumb, returns from the disabled list Sunday, the Marlins speedster will play in the outfield instead of second base for the remainder of the season. Bonifacio has already injured his left thumb twice this season, and Guillen believes there is less of a chance of him re-injuring the thumb in the outfield.

"We're leaning for him to be back in the outfield for a lot of reasons," Guillen said. "We're going to try to prevent injuries from now on. When he heals completely, we might change our mind and move him back to second base. The idea right now is to get him some at-bats and help us a little more."

Rockies: Chacin returning Tuesday
• Jhoulys Chacin will rejoin the Rockies after more than three months on the disabled list. The righty has been sidelined since May 6 with inflammation in his throwing shoulder, but he's finally set for a return to Colorado.

Chacin will start Tuesday in New York, giving the Rockies and their four-man rotation a bit of flexibility moving forward. Whether the club expands to a traditional five-man rotation full-time remains to be seen.

"There's flexibility with this in relation to any part of it that you want to talk about," Tracy said. "You have someone that's coming back that hasn't pitched since early May, and you have to be flexible enough to be able to plug this guy in as we go along over the next several days and we'll see where it all goes. We may have to readjust it again. There's a possibility that we will."

Worth noting
• Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton has hit a home run in each of his five career games at Coors Field. That streak ties Jeff Kent (2003) for most consecutive games there with a homer by a visiting player.

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