Washington @ Florida preview
Sun Life Stadium
Last Meeting ( Aug 12, 2010 ) Florida 5, Washington 0
The Florida Marlins talented rotation may need to make room for another youngster.
Alex Sanabia (3-1, 3.67 ERA) seeks his third consecutive winning start since returning from the minors as the Marlins return home from a disappointing end to a 3-3 road trip to host the Washington Nationals on Monday.
Florida was on the verge of moving within 7 1/2 games of NL East-leading Atlanta on Sunday, but failed to hold a five-run lead in a 7-6 loss to the Braves. Instead, the Marlins have fallen 9 1/2 games behind the Braves and 7 1/2 back of the Philadelphia Phillies in the wild card chase.
Florida will get a chance to beat up on the NL East cellar-dwelling Nationals before they get ready for a last run at the postseason. The Marlins host the Braves for three games this weekend and then go to Philadelphia for four contests early next week.
The Nationals enter this series having taken three of four on the road from the St. Louis Cardinals, including consecutive wins for the first time this month on Saturday and Sunday.
The Marlins have talented right-handed starters in All-Star Josh Johnson, 14-game winner Ricky Nolasco and 11-game winner Anibal Sanchez, who threw a no-hitter in 2006 at the age of 22. Fourth starter Chris Volstad was the first high school pitcher selected in the 2005 draft to reach the major leagues.
None of these hurlers is over 27, but it has been the 21-year-old Sanabia who has impressed the most lately.
After being recalled from the minors for the second time this season, Sanabia allowed one run and four hits over 7 2/3 innings in a 4-2 victory at the Pittsburgh Pirates on Aug. 19. The 32nd-round pick in 2006 retired the side in order five times and set down 16 straight at one point with the aid of a double play.
In his last outing on Wednesday at New York, Sanabia took a two-hitter into the seventh inning in the Marlins’ 5-4 victory over the Mets. The right-hander was charged with three runs – two earned – and four hits over 6 1/3 frames.
Sanabia is no stranger to the Nationals as he recorded his first major league victory against the struggling team in a 1-0 decision on July 18. Sanabia yielded four hits and a pair of walks to go with five strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings in that one.
Right-hander Jason Marquis (0-7, 8.79 ERA), who is attempting to salvage something from an injury-plagued season, will start for the Nationals.
The only National League pitcher to post double-digit win totals each season since 2004, Marquis has lost all seven of his starts this season - a club record to begin a campaign. He is still trying to regain his form after recovering from May 14 surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow.
The 32-year-old had his best outing of the season last Wednesday, yielding just one run and four hits with three walks over a season-high 7 1/3 innings in a 4-0 loss against the Chicago Cubs.