Washington Nationals at Marlins Series Preview (5/20-5/22)

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May 6, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins relief pitcher David Phelps (right) celebrates with Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto (left) after the Marlins defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 6-4 at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

The Washington Nationals will end their six game road trip with a three game series against the Miami Marlins

At Citi Field this week, the Washington Nationals (25-16) offense scored 16 runs in the final two games of the series as they won two out of three against the New York Mets. This included scoring seven runs in the third inning against Matt Harvey.

Tonight, the Nats end their six game road trip with a three game series at Marlins Park against the Miami Marlins (21-19). These two teams played a four game series last weekend at Nats Park with each team winning two of the games. Don Mattingly’s club is now 3.5 games behind Washington in the NL East, but they are 5-5 against them this season.

Against the Marlins this year, second baseman Daniel Murphy is hitting .382 with a double, triple, and three RBI’s while Bryce Harper has four of his 11 home runs against Miami, which is the most he’s hit against any team this season.

While the Washington Nationals were playing the Mets, the Marlins lost two out of three games to the Phillies. This month, Miami’s offense has the best batting average in the National League (.274), but they have only scored 70 runs (tenth in the NL). Left fielder Marcell Ozuna (.302, seven home runs, 21 RBI’s) is second in the NL in batting average (.394) and runs scored (14).

Even with Dee Gordon out due to the PED suspension, the Marlins have received production from the leadoff spot. Catcher J.T. Realmuto is 12-for-24 when he leads off an inning with three doubles. The 25-year-old is hitting .333 with six doubles this month. Of course, you can never forget Giancarlo Stanton and the 11 home runs, but Stanton is hitting .175 in May.

On the mound, Jose Fernandez (5-2, 3.21 ERA) continues to dominate as he won NL Pitcher of the Week last week over Max Scherzer, despite Scherzer’s 20-strikeout outing. This month, Miami’s team ERA is 3.83, which is tenth in the NL. As for the bullpen, they are fifth in the NL this season (3.63). Their closer, A.J. Ramos, is 12-for-12 in saves.

Before the series gets underway tonight, here is my breakdown of the three pitching matchups

Next: Tonight's Matchup

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