Washington Nationals: 5 to watch in Miami
By Ron Juckett
The long stretch of continuous games end as the Washington Nationals travel to Miami to face the Marlins. Here are five to watch before a needed day off.
The Washington Nationals wrap up 20 games in 20 days with their first three-game set of the year in Miami against the Marlins.
After a successful weekend in Queens visiting the New York Mets, taking three of four, the Nats have reclaimed their double-digit lead over the rest of the NL East. With a day off looming on Thursday, Washington would love to take two of three before returning home to face the Cincinnati Reds.
At 24-13 away from the friendly confines of Nationals Park, Washington has the third-best road record in the game behind the Houston Astros and Colorado Rockies. Their 5.5 runs per game is second behind the New York Yankees at 5.8.
Would you believe after 69 games the Nats have played only 13 games against teams with a winning record? It is true. They are 7-6 against other winners and 35-20 versus teams with losing records.
Miami comes into this tilt at 30-37.
They come home from a short three-game road trip in Atlanta where they dropped two-of-three against the Braves. The Marlins draw four against the Chicago Cubs and three with the Mets after the Nats leave town, making this a potentially tough homestand.
Although Washington will not see Wei-yin Chen or Martin Prado due to injuries, Justin Bour, Dee Gordon and Ichiro Suzuki expect to play along with their bigger stars.
With that, here are five players to watch as the Nats and Marlins play at the home of this year’s All-Star Game.