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Sunday afternoon's rubber match pegs a pair of streaking starters in Miami lefty Brad Hand and Washington right-hander Stephen Strasburg.
Both pitchers look to round out the month of August with their fourth respective win in five tries. Hand is 3-1 and has gone at least six innings in every start this month. Meanwhile, Strasburg is 3-1 and hasn't given up more than two runs in any appearance in August.
Pitching Matchup
| Record | ERA | WHIP | Marlins | Nationals | WHIP | ERA | Record |
| 4-3 | 4.23 | 1.28 | Hand | Strasburg | 1.24 | 4.14 | 8-6 |
Hand is coming off possibly his best start of the season -- maybe even his career. He went eight-plus innings and gave up only two runs in a dominant win against the Pittsburgh Pirates. A victory on Sunday would help Hand add to his already career-best in wins (4).
Strasburg, sitting at 87 innings pitched on the year, hopes to turn in a solid start for a Washington team in the midst of a division-title and Wild Card race.
In a small sample size, lefty Justin Bour has had a bit of success against Sunday's starter. Bour is 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a pair of walks in five plate appearances against Strasburg this season. Ichiro Suzuki is 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored against the big righty.
On the other side, Hand is facing a team that likes to hit lefties. Ryan Zimmerman, hitting clean-up, is 6-for-8 with four doubles and three runs scored against the lefty since 2011. Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon have had some success against Hand, as well. Harper is 3-for-10 with a triple, home run and four RBIs versus Hand, while Rendon is 5-for-11 with two doubles, three RBIs and a pair of runs scored.
Notes
- The Nationals currently hold just a 1.5-game lead above the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Wild Card race. With the Mets' recent surge, the Nats are beginning to fall behind in the NL East.
- Miami has actually had a decent amount of success against the Nationals this season. The Fish are 6-5 against their division rival.
- The 27-year-old Strasburg has more starts against the Marlins (21) than any other opponent since debuting in the big leagues back in 2010.
- If Miami is going to win, it will need to get to Strasburg early. Make him throw a lot of pitches in inning one through three.
Bold Prediction: Marlins beat Nationals 5-4.