Marlins To Take On The Nationals
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MIAMI (AP) -- Stephen Strasburg struggled through his first two starts before seeing plenty of improvement the last time out, albeit against a weak lineup.
The one he'll face Saturday in Miami has been considerably better lately, though the Washington Nationals' starter has strung together some impressive outings against the Marlins.
Strasburg (1-1, 4.50 ERA) allowed eight earned runs in 10 2-3 innings in his first two starts before limiting light-hitting Philadelphia to a run and five hits in 7 1-3 innings of Sunday's 4-1 win. He was perfect through 4 2-3, and manager Matt Williams said it might have been the best he's seen him pitch.
"The command of my changeup and the feel for my changeup was much better," Strasburg told MLB's official website. "You work on things and you try to remember what the keys are - what are you trying to do with the pitch, where you want to execute it. You try to paint that picture in your head. You go out there and let it go."
If the right-hander can replicate recent outings against the Marlins, he might be able keep it going.
Strasburg has recorded 14 straight scoreless innings against the Marlins over his last three starts, going 2-1 with a 0.45 ERA and nine hits surrendered over 20 innings.
However, the two scoreless starts came with Giancarlo Stanton out of the lineup. The slugger is just 1 for 12 over his last three games but is 10 for 28 with three home runs and five doubles against Strasburg. The only other Miami player with any sustained success against him is Marcell Ozuna (6 for 13).
Much of the lineup, though, has been consistent over the last six games with a .294 average and 5.2 runs per game. Miami (6-11) opened the series with a 3-2 victory Friday to extend its winning streak to three.
Dee Gordon was 3 for 4 and is batting .429 in his last six. Adeiny Hechavarria added two hits, has a seven-game hitting streak and is batting .476 over his last 11.
"We're playing better baseball," said Martin Prado, who's gone 6 for 14 with six RBIs on the winning streak. "That's what everybody was expecting with this team."
The Marlins could need that kind of production if Tom Koehler doesn't turn things around.
The right-hander's first three starts have gone the opposite direction of Strasburg's after Sunday's 7-6 loss to the New York Mets. Koehler (1-2, 6.75), who yielded two runs in each of his first two outings, allowed seven runs and five hits with two walks in 3 1-3 innings.
His last four starts against Washington have yielded a 2-2 record and 2.63 ERA, but Ryan Zimmerman (4 for 8 with a home run), Denard Span (3 for 8) and Jayson Werth (3 for 10 with two homers) have all hit him well.
Washington (7-10) has dropped three straight for the second time this year and fell to 2-5 on the road in the first contest of a 10-game trip. Werth was 0 for 3 and is batting .152 in nine games back from shoulder surgery, but Zimmerman, who is playing through plantar fasciitis, doubled and has hit safely in his last five after an equally slow start. Ian Desmond also doubled, is hitting .405 on a 10-game streak and has a nine-game streak against the Marlins.
The Nationals have won 27 of 39 over the Marlins since the start of 2013, including 12 of 20 in Miami. Over the last seven games there, Washington starters have posted a 1.74 ERA.
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