Series preview: Florida Marlins (49-49) at San Francisco Giants (56-43)

Hanley Ramirez is 1-for-13 vs. Barry Zito.

After falling into fourth place in the NL West earlier this month, the San Francisco Giants have made a strong push.

The Florida Marlins have done the same over the last 10 days.

Looking to continue their surge, the Giants go for their fifth straight win Monday night when they open a four-game series against a Marlins club that’s making a habit of late-game heroics.

Since trailing first-place San Diego by 6.5 games on July 2, San Francisco (56-43) has won 16 of 20 to move into second place and trim the Padres’ lead to three games.

The Giants have scored a major league-high 122 runs in July, helping them take over the wild-card lead — 1.5 games ahead of Cincinnati.

The play of rookie catcher Buster Posey has helped spark San Francisco’s hot streak. Called up May 29, the 23-year-old is batting .472 with six homers and 22 RBIs during an 18-game hitting streak. He matched a career high with four hits, including a double that set up the winning run, in Sunday’s 3-2, 10-inning victory at Arizona.

“Buster is pretty…talented,” said two-time reigning NL Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum. “I don’t know any other way to say it.”

Posey, who has the second-longest rookie hitting streak in team history and needs five more games to surpass Willie McCovey’s record set in 1959, needs one more RBI to move past Jim Ray Hart, who set a team rookie record with 24 RBIs in one month in 1964.

While Posey and the Giants are keeping pressure on the Padres, the Marlins (49-49) are hoping to get into the NL East race by continuing their recent success. Florida won two of three against first-place Atlanta over the weekend and has made up 2.5 games in the standings by winning seven of nine overall.

The Marlins won six times by one run during a 7-3 homestand that ended with Sunday’s 5-4, 11-inning victory. Wes Helms‘ bases-loaded single was the club’s fourth walkoff hit of the week.

“You don’t see a stretch like this very often,” Helms said. “With the lead changes and the drama at the end of the games, it’s just amazing to see that in one week.”

Trying to move above .500 for the first time since they were 28-27 on June 3, the Marlins will give the ball to Ricky Nolasco (10-7, 4.50 ERA), who is 5-1 with a 3.70 ERA in his last six starts. The right-hander struck out eight and threw eight innings of two-run ball in Wednesday’s 5-2 win over Colorado. Nolasco moved past A.J. Burnett for second all-time in franchise history with 50 wins.

“We all know what position we’re in. Personal goals aren’t important right now,” Nolasco told the Marlins’ official website. “It’s about going out there and helping us win games and achieve our goal to stay together for the rest of the season.”

Nolasco gave up three runs in six innings of a 6-3 loss to the visiting Giants on May 6.

San Francisco will counter with left-hander Barry Zito (8-5, 3.45), who is 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA in his last three outings.

The 2002 AL Cy Young winner went seven innings in a 3-2 victory at Florida on May 5, allowing one run and seven hits. Zito has a 0.80 ERA while winning his last five starts against the Marlins.

Last year’s NL batting champ Hanley Ramirez, who has no extra-base hits in his last 18 games, is 1-for-13 lifetime against Zito.

San Francisco has won two of three in each of Florida’s last four visits to AT&T Park.

Copyright 2010 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press.