Washington Nationals: Gio Gonzalez Looks to Complete Sweep of Hometown Marlins

After beginning the season 2-0, the Washington Nationals call on Gio Gonzalez to attempt to complete the series sweep of the Miami Marlins.

Gio Gonzalez will make his season debut for the Washington Nationals on Thursday afternoon against his hometown Miami Marlins.

Although Gonzalez had a bit of a down year in 2016, he looked like his old self this spring, pitching to a 2.74 ERA in 23 innings. Gonzalez’s latest game appearance was last Saturday in the Naval Academy Classic, where he threw 1.2 scoreless innings in a rare relief appearance.

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Gonzalez’s lone start against the division rival Marlins last season occurred on May 13 at Nationals Park, and it was easily one of his best starts of the year. He only made it through five innings, but didn’t allow a single earned run and struck out seven, meaning nearly half of his outs came via the strikeout.

Gonzalez has also enjoyed quite a bit of success against Miami over the course of his career. He is 6-3 with a 2.21 career ERA in 11 starts against the Marlins, his third lowest ERA against any team. He also boasts a 2.33 BB/9 against Miami, which is extremely low for the often wild Gonzalez.

Season debuts have been a highlight of Gonzalez’s career, including a six-inning gem against the Atlanta Braves last season in which he only allowed three hits in a 2-1 Nats win on April 12. Between Gonzalez’s success against Miami and his success in season debuts, it’s looking like he could be in for a great start on Thursday.

Another thing Gonzalez has going for him is his career splits against players currently on Miami’s roster. Dee Gordon has the highest batting average against Gonzalez out of the Marlins with a reasonable sample size, batting .444 in nine at-bats. After that, there’s a bit of a drop-off to Giancarlo Stanton, who has a career .313 batting average in 16 at-bats against Gonzalez. No other Marlins have hit him particularly well, and Gonzalez hasn’t allowed a single homer to any current Marlin.

Tom Koehler will be matching up against Gonzalez on Thursday, and he has not enjoyed the same success against the Nationals. Seven Nats have career batting averages of at least .250 against Koehler. Some notables are Bryce Harper, who has hit a career .344 with six homers in 32 at-bats against Koehler. Ryan Zimmerman has also fared well against Koehler, batting .296 with three homers in 27 ABs.

The Nats have been very impressive so far in 2017, defeating Miami in both games. Although the season has just begun, the Nationals appear to be among the best teams in the major leagues.

Gonzalez struggled mightily last season, but has performed well this spring. It would be a huge bonus for the Nats if he’s able to return to his Cy Young form, or even just has a sub-4 ERA. If Gonzalez’s exceptional Spring carries over into the regular season, the already daunting Nationals starting rotation will become even better.

Next: Nats Take Advantage of Marlin Miscues

A quality start from Gonzalez on Thursday would be the perfect beginning to a successful 2017 season for him.

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