Two of the lowest-scoring offenses in baseball are set to face off at Nationals Park on Friday as the Miami Marlins (38-31) are on the road to face the Washington Nationals (27-40) to open a three-game series.
The Marlins are kicking off the final series of their nine-game road trip. They won only one out of three in their last series against the Mariners, taking the finale 4-1 on Wednesday at T-Mobile Park.
Jorge Soler was 1 for 2 with a solo home run and three walks. The Nationals are playing the first of seven games at home after concluding a difficult six-game road trip (2-4).
They lost two of three against the Astros in their last series, taking the finale 4-1 on Thursday at Minute Maid Park. Keibert Ruiz went 3 for 5 with a home run and two RBIs.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Marlins have won all three games this season between the NL East rivals, including a 5-3 victory in their most recent meeting on May 18 at loanDepot Park.
Starter Eury Perez went five innings, giving up one run on three hits and striking out six, to get the win, and Dylan Floro earned his fourth save with a scoreless ninth.
ON THE MOUND
Sandy Alcantara (2-5, 4.75 ERA) is slated to start for Miami. The righty allowed one run over seven innings in his last start, a 5-1 road win over the White Sox on Saturday. He yielded three hits while striking out four and walking two in the no-decision.
Alcantara is making his first appearance against the Nationals this season. Over five starts against the Nationals in 2022, Alcantara was 4-0 with a 0.90 ERA over 40 innings. He had 34 strikeouts and six walks.
RHP Trevor Williams (3-4, 4.11 ERA) will toe the rubber for Washington. He has made one prior start against the Marlins this season, giving up three runs over six innings in a 5-3 road defeat on May 18.
He gave up five hits and walked one while striking out five in the loss. In his last start on Sunday, Williams got the win on the road against the Braves. He threw five innings and gave up two runs on seven hits, striking out six and walking one in the 6-2 victory.
AT THE PLATE
The Miami offense is averaging 4.0 runs per game for the season, the fifth lowest in MLB, with a slash line of .256/.318/.397. Soler leads the team in OPS at .920. The right fielder is slashing .258/.357/.564 with 20 home runs, 40 RBIs, and 37 runs over 65 games.
Against righties like Williams this season, the Fish have a .692 OPS. Soler also is the team’s best hitter against right-handers with a .799 OPS in 182 at-bats.
Washington is slashing .260/.321/.386 for the season and averaging 4.2 runs per game, the third lowest in the National League. Lane Thomas leads the team with a .801 OPS.
The center fielder has nine home runs, 31 RBIs, and 44 runs scored with a slash line of .286/.338/.463. The Nats have a .674 OPS against right-handers in 2023. With a .829 OPS over 168 at-bats, Jeimer Candelario has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Miami is 17-18 in away games in 2023, scoring 4.0 runs per game while allowing 4.6 runs. Washington has lost four in a row at their home ballpark.
The Nats are 12-21 at home this season, averaging 3.7 runs per game while surrendering 5.4. In the last 10 meetings at Nationals Park, Miami is 8-2 with an average scoreline of 4.1-2.8.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Marlins are second in the NL East, five games behind the division-leading Braves. The Nationals are fifth in the NL East, 15 games behind the Braves.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Miami Marlins (-160)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
