Washington and Miami face off in an NL East matchup at 6:40 PM ET at loanDepot Park in Miami. The Nationals are 62-76, while the Marlins are 51-87, putting them 4th and 5th in the NL East, respectively.
MacKenzie Gore is starting for the Nationals, while Valente Bellozo is going for the Marlins. Washington is favored on the money line, and the over/under line is currently 8.5 runs. BSFL will be televising Wednesday's matchup.
Washington vs. Miami Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Nationals at Marlins
- Where: loanDepot Park Miami
- Date: Wednesday, September 4th
- Betting Odds WSH -141 | MIA +119 O/U 8.5
Nationals vs Marlins Last Game Recap
Washington cruised to a 6-2 win over the Marlins in the most recent game of this series. The Nationals had a big 4th inning, scoring three of their six runs. As for the Marlins, they scored their only two runs in the 5th. Heading into the game, the Nationals were the slight underdogs at -105.
Patrick Corbin got the win for the Nationals, going 5 2/3 innings and giving up two earned runs. Max Meyer struggled on the mound for the Marlins, taking the loss after going 5 2/3 innings and giving up five earned runs.
Keibert Ruiz and Joey Gallo each homered for the Nationals, while Jacob Young scored three times and drove in a run while going 3/3. Connor Norby had a two-hit game for the Marlins.
Nationals Preview
Washington is 78-60 against the run line this season, with a 41-28 record on the road. They are currently on a two-game run line winning streak and have an 11-12 record as favorites vs. the run line. Overall, the Nationals are 62-76 and have a 17-23-3 series record.
The Nationals have a 30-39 road record and are 4-6 in their last 10 games. They are 20 games behind the Phillies in the NL East and have won two straight games as favorites. The over/under line for today's game is set at 8.5 runs, and the over has hit in 18 of their 38 games with that total line this season.
Left-hander MacKenzie Gore gets the start for the Nationals today as he faces the Marlins on the road. He has made 27 starts this season and has a record of 8-11 with a 4.45 ERA. Gore's WHIP for the season is currently 1.55, and opponents are batting .270 off him this season. In his 27 starts, Gore has turned in seven quality starts and is averaging 9.54 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, he picked up the win, going six innings and giving up two earned runs on six hits. Before that, he had lost three straight starts.
So far this season, the Nationals offense is averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 21st in the league. They have been about the same offensively at home and on the road. As a team, they are batting .245, which is 11th in the league, and are also one of the league's best teams at avoiding strikeouts. Washington's team on-base percentage and slugging percentage numbers are right around the league average.
Luis Garcia Jr. comes into the game with a team-high 63 RBIs and is batting .290 for the season. CJ Abrams has 18 homers but is batting just .242 for the year. Over his last six games, Andres Chaparro is just 4/20, but he does have two homers in that stretch.
Marlins Preview
When Miami is the underdog, they have a 47-73 record, but as the favorite, they are just 4-14. Overall, the Marlins are 64-74 on the run line, with a 35-33 record on the road and 29-41 at home. The average run margin in their games is -1.4 runs per game, and their over/under record is 75-59 for the season.
Currently, the Marlins are in 5th place in the NL East, 31 games behind the Phillies. Their overall record is 51-87, and they trail the Nationals by 11 games for 4th place. Miami's series record is 11-25-7, and they have lost four straight series at home.
Right-hander Valente Bellozo gets the start for the Marlins today as he faces the Nationals at home. He has made eight starts this year and has a record of 2-2 with an ERA of 4.32. Bellozo's WHIP for the season is 1.34, and opponents are batting .253 off him this year. In his last outing, Bellozo finished with a no-decision, giving up six earned runs in four innings of work. Before that, he had turned in a quality start and didn't give up an earned run in seven innings of work. Per nine innings, Bellozo has 6.91 strikeouts and 3.24 walks.
One of the few bright spots in the Marlins lineup has been the play of Jake Burger, who is batting .247 this season and leads the team with 25 home runs and 59 RBIs. Jesús Sánchez is also a big power threat for the Marlins, as he has 17 homers and is 2nd on the team with 57 RBIs. Sánchez is also on a three-game hitting streak. Derek Hill has gone 4/14 in his last three games, including two home runs.
Overall, the Marlins are averaging just 3.8 runs per game, which is 29th in the league. They have been even worse at the plate on the road, averaging only 3.5 runs per game. As a team, the Marlins are batting .241, and they have the worst on-base percentage in the league.
Nationals vs. Marlins Prediction: Marlins ML +119
Our pick for this Nationals vs. Marlins matchup is to take the Marlins on the money line at +119. We have the Marlins winning this one by a score of 6-5. Given that the payout for a Marlins win is +119, we feel that this is the best way to play this one.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Valente Bellozo finishing with six strikeouts, which would have him ranked 14th among starters. As for MacKenzie Gore, his projection is for six strikeouts, which has him coming in at 20th.
