Marlins’ Stanton to snap out of funk vs. Nats?
Something dreadful happens to Tanner Roark whenever he faces the Marlins. Unless the righty figures out a remedy in time for tonight’s series opener, Washington (25-16) could have company atop the NL East.
Roark’s Nationals visit South Florida at 7:10 p.m. ET. Despite that uncertainty on the mound, oddsmakers at online sports book BetDSI like Dusty Baker’s troops as 1.5-run favorites. Miami enters as a +125 underdog, and the over/under figure sits at 8.5 runs.
The Nats’ fourth-year hurler simply cannot stop being vexed by the Fish. In 15 career meetings with the franchise, Roark has gone 2-7 with a 4.63 ERA and 1.40 WHIP. Even worse, he’s dropped five straight starts vs. Don Mattingly’s group. Another terrifying performance occurred just last weekend, when the Illinois product yielded seven runs in five innings of a 7-1 defeat to the Marlins in the second half of a doubleheader.
Yet matters could be worse for Roark (2-3, 3.10 ERA). Miami’s pre-eminent slugger, Giancarlo Stanton, finds himself in the throes of an awful slump. The right fielder has struck out in seven straight at-bats, and he went 0 for 10 in the squad’s most recent series.
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Since May began, Stanton boasts only three homers. Somehow, though, the Marlins (21-19) remain two above .500 and well within striking distance in the division race. In fact, should Justin Nicolino (2-1, 3.75) outfox Roark in a couple of hours, the Nats may be forced to temporarily share first place. (Philadelphia, which trails by one half-game, must topple Atlanta as well.) Get ready for such a reality check, Washington faithful, because the Fish own victories in six of the last nine at home.
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