Two of the least productive lineups in baseball are set to face off at loanDepot park on Friday as the Washington Nationals (52-97) are on the road to face the Miami Marlins (61-89) for the first of a three-game series. The Nationals are in the midst of a six-game road trip. They won only one out of three in their last series against the Braves, taking the finale 3-2 on Wednesday at Truist Park. Joey Meneses was 2 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs. The Marlins are in the midst of a six-game homestand. They lost two of three against the Cubs in their last series, dropping the finale 4-3 on Wednesday at loanDepot park. Nick Fortes went 2 for 4 with a home run and a double. He had two RBIs. Lewin Diaz added a solo home run.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Marlins have won 13 of 16 in the season series between the NL East rivals, including a 3-1 victory in their most recent meeting on Sunday at Nationals Park. Starter Sandy Alcantara went the distance. He gave up one run on seven hits en route to the win.
ON THE MOUND
Josiah Gray (7-9, 5.14 ERA) is in line for the start for Washington. The right-hander takes on the Marlins for the second straight start. He allowed four runs over five innings on September 16, a 5-4 home win. He gave up five hits while striking out four and walking three in the no-decision. Over five previous starts against the Marlins this season, Gray has allowed 17 earned runs over 27.1 innings (0-2, 5.60). He has struck out 33 and walked nine. Southpaw Braxton Garrett (2-6, 3.68 ERA) will toe the rubber for Miami. He has made one prior start against the Nationals this season, giving up one runs over 7.1 innings in a 3-2 road win on July 4. He gave up four hits and walked one, while striking out four in the no-decision. In his last start on September 12, Garrett took a no-decision at home against the Rangers. He threw 4.2 innings and gave up two runs on two hits, striking out four and walking two in the 10-6 victory.
AT THE PLATE
The Washington offense is averaging 3.8 runs per game for the season, third lowest in the NL, with a slash line of .250/.314/.381. Lane Thomas leads the team in OPS at .723. The center fielder is slashing .249/.306/.418 with 16 home runs, 51 RBIs, and 55 runs over 133 games. Over the last five games, however, Washington has averaged only 2.6 runs a game while performing worse across the board (.216/.274/.352). Against southpaws like Garrett this season, the Nats have a .682 OPS. Victor Robles is the team’s most potent producer against left-handers with a .744 OPS in 115 at-bats. Miami is slashing .230/.294/.363 for the season and averaging 3.6 runs per game, fourth lowest in MLB. Miguel Rojas leads the team with a .609 OPS. The shortstop has six home runs, 34 RBIs, and 33 runs scored with a slash line of .238/.284/.325. The Fish have a .674 OPS against righties in 2022, fifth lowest in MLB. With a .781 OPS over 314 at-bats, Garrett Cooper has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Washington is 28-47 in away games in 2022, scoring 3.9 runs per game while allowing 5.3 runs. Miami has gone 30-45 in front of their home fans this season, averaging 3.6 runs per game while surrendering 4.4. In the last 10 games between the teams at loanDepot park, Miami is 7-3 with an average scoreline of 5.9-4.1.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Nationals are fifth in the NL East, 42 games behind the division-leading Mets. The Marlins are fourth in the NL East, 33 games behind the Mets.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Miami Marlins
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
