Will Marlins finally halt home skid vs. Nats?
The Marlins have started a season 0-6 at home for the second time in franchise history. Judging by the events of Tuesday night, things aren’t exactly on the verge of brightening up.
Washington blanked Miami, 7-0, in the series opener between the two National League East combatants. The action in South Florida resumes at 7:10 p.m. ET this evening, with oddsmakers anticipating a similar result. Online sports book Bovada.lv lists the Nats as 1.5-run favorites. Meanwhile, the over/under run total rests at eight.
New manager Don Mattingly must already be at a loss to explain his team’s current offensive funk. After posting a .295 average through the first week of the season, the Marlins have hit .238 and averaged 3.2 runs in dropping five of their last six. Aside from Giancarlo Stanton’s up-and-down beginning, usual sparkplug Dee Gordon’s production continues to slip. The All-Star second baseman’s down to .281 in the average department after going 10 for 25 over the first five games.
Miami’s pitching hasn’t exactly floored onlookers, either. Wei-Yin Chen draws today’s unenviable task of trying to somehow neutralize Bryce Harper. The Nats’ sensational slugger boasts five homers and 15 RBIs over the past week, and he’s victimized southpaws like Chen at the same rate that he has tormented righties.
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Joe Ross’ control issues used to invite trouble for Washington (10-3), but that’s been anything but the case in 2016. The 22-year-old boasts a 2-0 mark with a 0.61 ERA across 14 2/3 innings so far. Obviously, there’s ample reason to believe he’ll keep it up in several hours.
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