One of the best teams in the National League takes on the worst when the Milwaukee Brewers visit the Miami Marlins to open a three-game series on Monday night.

While both teams are coming off losses, the cellar-dwelling Marlins are riding short-term momentum, having taken two of three from the visiting New York Mets. Miami has won five of its past seven games.

The Marlins' chances to sweep the series against New York were sabotaged early when starter Sixto Sanchez gave up four runs in the first on Sunday before settling down to finish four innings.

Miami manager Skip Schumaker was none too pleased with the early deficit, especially after his team rallied from four down in the ninth to win in 10 innings on Saturday.

"That's unacceptable. ... If (Sanchez) wants to start at this level, he's going to have to be better in the first inning," Schumaker said. "It's tough to come back from four runs every single time. He's not giving his teammates a chance to win.

"Four innings out of our starter at this stage in the season, it just crushes the bullpen, too."

Three of the four Marlins relievers who pitched on Sunday went more than one inning, a day after five relievers had to cover 5 2/3 innings.

The Brewers, who lead the NL Central, also fell behind on Sunday after starter Colin Rea surrendered four runs in the bottom of the first. Milwaukee had scored once in the top of the inning.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy was a bit more upbeat about Rea's ability to last 4 1/3 innings in the Houston Astros' 9-4 victory.

"Colin didn't have his best game, but at the same time, he battled and gave us a lot of innings. The (4 1/3) that he gave us were crucial," Murphy said. "We didn't do a great job after that."

Milwaukee used only two relievers to cover 3 2/3 innings on Sunday.

The Brewers, who are hovering just over .500 for the month of May at 9-8, will send right-hander Joe Ross to the mound on Monday.

Ross (2-4, 4.61 ERA), who opted out of the COVID-19 season of 2020 and then missed part of the 2021 campaign and the next two seasons due to Tommy John surgery, has gone at least five innings in five straight starts.

He is coming off a win over the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates last Tuesday, when he allowed two runs on two hits to go along with a walk and six strikeouts in five innings.

Asked after that game about his season after the long layoff, Ross said he feels good.

"The ball's coming out pretty well, and that's pretty much all I can ask for," he said. "The results will be better or worse in certain games, but as far as (how) I'm feeling, it's been good. Really happy about that."

In nine career appearances (five starts) against the Marlins, Ross is 2-2 with a 2.53 ERA in 32 innings.

Left-hander Ryan Weathers (2-4, 3.81) will start for Miami. In his first eight starts this season, he went six innings on three occasions, but he upped his game to eight scoreless innings at Detroit last Tuesday. He scattered three hits but came away with a no-decision when the Marlins won 1-0 in 10 innings.

Weathers has faced the Brewers just once in his career and came away with a no-decision after throwing four shutout innings that featured five strikeouts.

--Field Level Media