The Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins are set to wrap up a three-game series on Thursday from Marlins Park. Washington has taken the first two games of the series and will be looking to complete the three-game sweep. These two National League East rivals have had some great battles in recent years, but that hasn’t been the case in this series.
Washington can get its record back to the .500 mark with a win on Thursday in the series finale. The Nationals are still in third place in the National League East but are right in the thick of the Wild Card race. Miami has fallen to 30-48 on the season, and this appears to be another lost season in South Beach. The Marlins will likely wind up with the worst record in the National League. The Washington Nationals are -202 over the Miami Marlins in the series finale.
Strasburg Makes Start For Nationals
The Washington Nationals have gotten really good starting pitching this season, and that trend should continue on Thursday. Stephen Strasburg will be on the mound in the series finale, and he has been really sharp in 2019. The hard-throwing right-hander is 8-4 with a 3.79 earned run average through his first 16 starts this season. Washington doesn’t have much of a bullpen, and their fate will be in the hands of Strasburg.
Even though the Nationals lost Bryce Harper to free agency this past offseason, they still have a very good offense in 2019. Third baseman Anthony Rendon is having the best year of his career and leads the team with 17 home runs and 53 runs batted in. Juan Soto is also blossoming into a future star in D.C. and has chipped in with 12 homers and 50 RBI. This Nationals team can put up a big number in this game.
Marlins Just Have No Offense
Speaking of offense, that is something that the Marlins don’t have much of this season. Miami did manage to score five runs in the second game of this series, but the game was already out of reach. Brian Anderson leads the Miami team with just 10 home runs, and they don’t hit the ball out of the park a ton. Shortstop Miguel Rojas is having a nice season for the Marlins, hitting .279 with an on-base percentage of .344.
Miami will have a young pitching prospect on the mound on Thursday, and he looks like a future star in the Major League. Sandy Alcantara comes into this game with a record of just 4-6 but has a very respectable ERA of 3.51. Miami doesn’t have much talent on its pitching staff, but they can get excited when Alcantara is on the mound.
Nationals Complete Series Sweep
The Washington Nationals are the much better team in this series, and they have taken care of business through the first two games. Washington will have a great starting pitcher on the mound in the series finale, and Strasburg should have little trouble with the Marlins lineup. Bet the Washington Nationals -202 over the Miami Marlins.
