Tom Koehler (1-2, 6.75 ERA) and Stephen Strasburg (1-1, 4.50 ERA) start in the second of a three-game series between the Miami Marlins (6-11) and the Washington Nationals (7-10) at Marlins Park. The Marlins won the last game 3-2 and Miami leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 4:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 25 and can be seen on MASN and FSN-FL.
Koehler is 2-3 with a 4.03 ERA in his appearances against the Nationals, and goes up against a below-average Washington offense which is batting just .222 this season. Dee Gordon (.370, 10 Rs, 10 RBIs, 8 SBs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 3 for 4 with one RBI. Against the Marlins, Strasburg is 9-5 with a 3.44 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 101 strikeouts. Bryce Harper (.286, 11 Rs, 4 HRs, 10 RBIs) has been successful at the plate for the Nationals, going 2 for 2 yesterday with two RBIs.
Washington takes on Miami as a -125 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at seven runs. The Marlins have recorded an overall money line of -735 and have shown a weak performance as an underdog this season with a record of 1-5. Miami has recorded a disappointing 1-5 record as the underdog over its last 10 games.
In games where it is the favorite, Washington has a 6-6 record and an overall money line of -445. They are 5-5 as the favorite against fellow NL East members, and 5-5 SU. Offensively, they average four runs per game on the road, which is fifth in the NL. Washington is excellent at drawing walks with 3.3 per game, ranking fourth in the NL. The Nationals average 4.0 runs allowed per game, but does better whenever another team from the NL East is on the schedule. They bring that runs allowed average down to 3.0 against division foes.
The Marlins have the edge in the season series, 1-0. The Marlins have a bad 1-4 record at home (3-10 overall) against right-handed starting pitchers, which is what they’ll be facing when Strasburg takes the mound. Koehler (RHP) will be on the hill against the Nationals, who have a 5-8 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – MIA, O/U – Over
Notes
In their last game, the Nationals lost by a margin of one run. The Marlins are 2-4 in one-run games. The Nationals have a 3-3 record in close games.
The Marlins are 1-0 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Nationals are 2-1 in such matchups.
The Nationals are coming into this game after allowing zero walks during their last outing. The Marlins have a 1-1 record when opponents give up that many walks.
When they are outhit, the Marlins are 0-5. The Nationals have a 1-9 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 25th in home runs, Miami has hit nine this season. Washington ranks 10th with 15 home runs.
Ranking 11th, Washington is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 7.56 per game. Miami ranks in the top 10 at seventh with 8.44.
Ranking 21st, Washington is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.657). Miami ranks in the bottom half at 20th with an OPS of .664.
The Nationals are 2-3 when they allow at least one home run. The Marlins perform similarly when they allow one or more homers with a 4-6 record.
