Miami hosts Washington in division matchup
Washington Nationals (9-9, fourth in the NL East) vs. Miami Marlins (5-15, fifth in the NL East)
Miami; Saturday, 6 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Nationals: Max Scherzer (1-2, 3.33 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 35 strikeouts) Marlins: Jose Urena (1-3, 6.53 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, 17 strikeouts)
LINE: Marlins favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 7 runs
BOTTOM LINE: Division rivals Miami and Washington will play on Saturday at Marlins Park.
The Marlins are 3-7 against the rest of their division. The Miami pitching staff as a whole has an ERA of 4.80. Caleb Smith leads the team with a 2.35 ERA.
The Nationals are 6-6 against the rest of their division. Washington has slugged .459, good for fourth in in the MLB. Anthony Rendon leads the team with a .783 slugging percentage, including 16 extra-base hits and six home runs. The Marlins won the last meeting 3-2. Smith notched his second victory and Isaac Galloway went 1-for-4 with an RBI for Miami. Anibal Sanchez registered his second loss for Washington.
TOP PERFORMERS: Neil Walker leads the Marlins with three home runs and is slugging .386. Austin Dean is 5-for-22 with a double, a triple, a home run and six RBIs over the last 10 games for Miami.
Rendon leads the Nationals with 26 hits and is batting .377. Howie Kendrick is 10-for-21 with three doubles, three home runs and six RBIs over the last 10 games for Washington.
LAST 10 GAMES: Marlins: 2-8, .195 batting average, 5.38 ERA, outscored by 37 runs
Nationals: 5-5, .274 batting average, 4.00 ERA, outscored opponents by 14 runs
Marlins Injuries: Riley Ferrell: 10-day IL (bicep), Julian Fernandez: 60-day IL (elbow), Austin Brice: 10-day IL (gastroenteritis), Garrett Cooper: 10-day IL (calf).
Nationals Injuries: Austen Williams: 10-day IL (shoulder), Justin Miller: 10-day IL (back), Koda Glover: 10-day IL (forearm), Trea Turner: 10-day IL (finger).
