While the Marlins have some young talent, they aren’t as deep on the mound or in the lineup as Washington and hope the home field advantage will be enough for them to pick up the series victory. The Marlins are better than their 30-37 record would indicate but this will still be a tough task against an elite foe.
This series will be contested from Monday, June 19 through Wednesday, June 21, 2017 at Marlins Park in Miami, Florida.
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Pitching Matchups
The Nationals will begin the series by sending out Tanner Roark, who is 6-4 with a 4.39 ERA. He was lit up for seven earned runs last time out and doesn’t have fantastic stuff, so the Marlins may be able to take advantage. The Marlins will send out Edinson Volquez, who is 3-7 with a 3.72 ERA on the season. He had a no-hitter three starts ago and has been solid for the past month, but has a tough task against a strong Nationals lineup.
In the second game of the series, Washington is scheduled to start Gio Gonzalez. The left-hander is 6-1 on the season with a 2.89 ERA. Gonzalez doesn’t have a great strikeout-to-walk ratio but he has been consistent all year. The Marlins will feature Vance Worley, who is 0-2 with a 7.27 ERA. Worley has only lasted 3.2 innings in each of his last two starts and could be in trouble in this one.
In the series finale, the Nationals are slated to send out ace Max Scherzer, who is 8-4 with a sparkling 2.26 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP. He is one of the best hurlers in the majors, and while the Marlins will counter with the solid Dan Straily, they will still be the underdogs. Straily is 5-4 on the year with a 3.58 ERA.
Injury Report
Marlins first baseman Justin Bour has returned to the lineup after he was reinstated off the disabled list late last week. It’s a big bat to get back in the lineup, as Bour is hitting .303 on the season with 17 homer and 44 RBIs with a .978 OPS.
Bour, who was sidelined June 5, has gone 4-for-8 with a home run, four RBIs and a run scored in the three games since his return. The Marlins have some other players like Marcell Ozuna and Giancarlo Stanton who are impressive hitters, but adding Bour to the fold helps round out the lineup.
Player to Watch
Trea Turner -- The Nationals’ shortstop is beginning to turn it on after a slow start to the season. He is batting .265 with seven homers, 30 RBIs and a .724 OPS on the season. Turner has nine hits in his past six games, and stole four bases last time out in a loss to the Mets.
Turner has a nice combination of power and speed atop the order, although he could draw more walks as his on-base percentage is currently below .300. Turner has 26 stolen bases on the season and wreaks havoc ahead of stars like Bryce Harper, Ryan Zimmerman and Daniel Murphy.
The Nationals have a potent middle of the order, and when Turner is hitting well at the top of it, it makes the team that much more dangerous. The Nationals have a bunch of talent and could come away with two wins despite playing this series on the road.
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