The Washington Nationals are playing some of their best baseball of the season — a fact the Miami Marlins know all too well.
After getting swept by the Nationals last week, the Marlins will play host to Washington for four games this week, beginning with Monday’s affair.
The Nationals (58-84) have won five of their last six games, including a three-game sweep against the Marlins from Monday to Wednesday of last week. Washington won those three games by the combined margin of 17-7 — and then the team moved on to Chicago, where it took two of three from the Cubs.
Sunday’s 6-3 victory was among the team’s best wins of the season, as Washington scored five runs in the ninth inning, highlighted by Josh Bell’s go-ahead three-run homer.
“I had a good game plan,” Bell said. “I thought he was going to go heaters down and then try to work the slider underneath, and I was able to capitalize on the first heater I saw.”
Meanwhile, the Marlins (66-77) followed the sweep at the hands of the Nationals by losing two of three to the visiting Philadelphia Phillies over the weekend. On the bright side, Miami did snap its five-game losing streak with a 5-4 victory on Sunday afternoon.
Otto Lopez hit two home runs and drove in four runs to highlight a much-needed win by Clayton McCullough’s club.
“It felt long,” McCullough said of scoring four first-inning runs en route to ending the skid. “Felt like it had been a while. And certainly feel better to get the lead today, to be able to play downhill some for us. It’s early in the game, there’s a long way to go, but at least you have a little bit of a cushion.”
The Marlins will begin this series with Janson Junk (6-2, 4.09 ERA) on the mound. He hasn’t pitched since Aug. 23 as he’s dealt with an elbow injury.
The right-hander had given up three runs in each of his last four starts before the injury.
“I’m feeling good right now,” Junk said a few days after his last outing — a game in which he felt something strange in his elbow. “It’s unfortunate — coming out of the start, the day after I felt good.”
Junk has faced the Nationals once — on June 14 in the nation’s capital. He pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings that day en route to a 4-3 victory and his first win of the season.
Washington will give the ball to Cade Cavalli (2-1, 4.85), who enjoyed a successful outing against Miami last week in his first career start against the Marlins. He gave up two runs in five innings on his way to a 5-2 triumph.
“First of all, let me say, Cade is a dawg on the mound,” said Nationals outfielder Daylen Lile. “He’s a special player. Everything he does, from what he does to get ready for the game and then translating into the game and this journey he’s been on, to finally come back up here and do what he’s doing, I’m very happy for him.”
–Field Level Media
