Nationals vs. Marlins Series Preview

The Washington Nationals come to town for the weekend and are bringing some of their best arms. The Miami Marlins have an opportunity to make up ground in their division with this 4-game series against a division opponent. The Nationals are one game under .500 and four games out of first place in the NL East; the Marlins are 11 games under .500 and nine games out of first place in the NL East. It’ll be a tough task for the Fish — the Nationals have won nine out of their last 10 games.

This series preview will give you all the details:

• Schedule, Watch, Listen
• Probable Pitchers
• Recent Lineups
• What To Watch For

Schedule, Watch, Listen

Thursday, June 24 at 7:10 pm

Friday, June 25 at 7:10 pm

Saturday, June 26 at 4:10 pm

Sunday, June 27 at 1:10 pm

• TV broadcast for all 4 games: Bally Sports Florida
• Radio broadcast for all 4 games: 940 AM WINZ, WAQI 710

Grid View

• Joe Ross, Nationals starting pitcher on Thursday Photo by Brad Mills/USA TODAY Sports
• Cody Poteet, Marlins starting pitcher on Thursday Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/USA TODAY Sports
• Jon Lester, Nationals starting pitcher on Friday Photo by Brad Mills/USA TODAY Sports
• Pablo López, Marlins starting pitcher on Friday Photo by Matt Marton/USA TODAY Sports
• Patrick Corbin, Nationals starting pitcher on Saturday Photo by Amber Searls/USA TODAY Sports
• Zach Thompson, Marlins starting pitcher on Saturday Photo by Quinn Harris/USA TODAY Sports
• Max Scherzer, Nationals starting pitcher on Sunday Photo by Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports
• Sandy Alcantara, Marlins starting pitcher on Sunday Photo by Jim Rassol/USA TODAY Sports

Probable Pitchers

Thursday: RHP Joe Ross vs. RHP Cody Poteet

• Ross: 4.54 ERA, 1.248 WHIP, 22.5 K%, 38.1 HardHit% in 67.1 IP
• Poteet: 3.90 ERA, 1.120 WHIP, 23.0 K%, 40.0 HardHit% in 27.2 IP

Friday: LHP Jon Lester vs. RHP Pablo López

• Lester: 3.96 ERA, 1.440 WHIP, 16.3 K%, 37.4 HardHit% in 50.0 IP
• López: 2.86 ERA, 1.071 WHIP, 25.0 K%, 31.4 HardHit% in 85.0 IP

Saturday: LHP Patrick Corbin vs. RHP Zach Thompson

• Corbin: 5.40 ERA, 1.409 WHIP, 18.8 K%, 42.2 HardHit% in 76.2 IP
• Thompson: 1.50 ERA, 1.000 WHIP, 29.2 K%, 44.8 HardHit% in 12.0 IP

Sunday: RHP Max Scherzer vs. RHP Sandy Alcantara

• Scherzer: 2.19 ERA, 0.826 WHIP, 36.1 K%, 35.8 HardHit% in 82.1 IP
• Alcantara: 3.39 ERA, 1.082 WHIP, 23.4 K%, 38.7 HardHit% in 85.0 IP

Recent Lineups

FanGraphs.com

What to watch for on...

Thursday: The Fish have to stop the hot Nats and break their own losing streak.

• Coming into this series, the Nationals have outscored their opponents by a wide margin: 48 runs scored and 27 runs allowed, leading to only one loss over the 10 game stretch.
• That one loss belongs to Joe Ross, the Nationals’ starter on Thursday night. He allowed five earned runs over five innings in a loss to the Mets.

Friday: Pablo López has the chance to bounce back at home.

• López’s last start at home on June 13 vs. Atlanta was his worst of the season on the LoanDepot Park mound: 3.0 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 HR.
• He’s much more comfortable at home and, while his career home/road splits are staggering, López has been especially phenomenal at home this season. Opposing batters slash .192/.255/.302 against López at LoanDepot Park in 2021. The Nationals are hot, but this is his chance to return to form.

Photo by Sam Navarro/USA TODAY Sports

Saturday: Miguel Rojas vs. Patrick Corbin.

• Rojas career vs. Corbin: 11-for-26, 1 2B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 1 K
• Corbin got off to a terrible start this season but has been pitcher better as of late. Rojas has struggled since returning from the injured list, but he has hit well against Corbin in the past. One good game could spark Rojas at the plate. Look for him against Corbin on Saturday.

Sunday: Battle of the aces!

• Max Scherzer vs. Sandy Alcantara is the match-up to see this weekend.
• Scherzer has been dominant this season. He’s striking batters out at an impressive rate while also limiting walks. When opposing hitters do make contact, they have a .233 BABIP. But Alcantara will be up for the challenge. Of the Nationals hitters he’s faced over his career, Juan Soto and Trea Turner have given him the most trouble. Soto is 7-for-17 with 2 home runs’ Turner is 6-for-18 with 2 doubles.