The Washington Nationals were off Thursday and on Saturday play the Miami Marlins in the second game of a three-game weekend series.
On Wednesday, the Nationals had a two-game winning streak snapped when they lost to the San Diego Padres 3-1. Washington ended its home stand of six games 2-4 and has still not reached .500.
Miami was off Thursday, but won its second straight on Wednesday over the New York Mets 2-1. Starlin Castro and J.T. Realmuto each had RBI singles to knock in both Miami runs off Mets closer Jeurys Familia during the ninth inning to lead the Marlins to the win. Washington is currently three games behind first place, while Miami trails by 10 ½ games.
Matt Adams leads Washington with a .273 batting average. Bryce Harper is the team leader in home runs with 15 and in RBIs with 34. Washington has a team batting average of .238, while opposing hitters are averaging .218 against Nationals pitching. On Saturday, the Nationals will send Tanner Roark to the mound. The right-hander this season is 2-4 with an ERA of 3.39, 53 Ks and 17 BBs.
Starlin Castro leads the Marlins with a .293 batting average and team high 55 hits. Justin Bour is the team leader in home runs with nine and RBIs with 23. Miami has a team batting average of .230 while opposing hitters are averaging .252 at the plate against Marlins pitching. On Saturday, the Marlins will send Wei-Yin Chen to the mound. The left-hander this season is 1-2 with an ERA of 6.55, 14 Ks and 12 BBs.
