Nationals hoping for rebound vs. Marlins
WASHINGTON -- After missing an opportunity to gain ground Saturday on the Phillies and Braves, the Nationals will look to bounce back and take the rubber game of their series against the last-place Miami Marlins. On Saturday when the Braves blew a 3-0 lead in the ninth and lost, and the Phillies were shut down by Jacob deGrom, Washington (62-62) had a chance to pick up a game on both. But despite rallying from a 4-2 deficit in the seventh and 5-4 in the ninth, they fell 7-5 in 10 innings to remain seven games behind Atlanta. "I think to fight to get back in the game is pretty hard, and then you do it two or three times in a game and then not be able to come out victorious I think is definitely disappointing a little bit," shortstop Trea Turner told MASN.com after Washington's mini winning streak was stopped at two games. Now they need a solid effort from Gio Gonzalez (7-9, 4.12 ERA) on Sunday. After tossing seven innings of one-run ball in an Aug. 9 win over the Braves, the left-hander's struggles resumed last time out as he allowed five runs on five hits over four innings of a loss to the Cardinals. Two of the runs came on a homer by opposing pitcher John Gant. "It's tough to say, but this game was determined on a home run from a person you didn't expect to hit a home run," Gonzalez told the Washington Post. "Unfortunately, I'm not doing my part as one of the starting pitchers.? Since June 9, Gonzalez has seen his ERA rise from 2.65 to 4.12 and the Nationals are 2-9 in his starts. One of those losses however, was 2-1 at Miami on July 28 when he gave up a run over seven innings. And one of the wins came on July 6 against the Marlins as Gonzalez allowed two runs in five innings. Over his career, Gonzalez is 10-3 with a 1.89 ERA in 18 starts against Miami. Marlins manager Don Mattingly is sending right-hander Jose Urena (3-12, 4.74) out for Sunday's finale. Urena is appealing the six-game suspension he received for hitting Braves rookie Ronald Acuna Jr. with his very first pitch in Atlanta on Wednesday. This would leave him lined up for a start during the Marlins upcoming series against the Braves depending on the outcome of his appeal. "It's not something we want to do," Mattingly told the Miami Herald of having Urena face the Braves and risk retaliation, meaning the rotation would be altered in some way if Urena is not suspended Meanwhile, Urena makes his third start of the season against Washington. On May 25 he gave up four runs in six innings and took a no-decision in a loss. Then on July 29 he hurled six innings of one hit, no-run baseball to earn his third win. Urena is 2-2 with a 4.19 ERA in 10 games (four starts) against Washington. On Saturday night, the Marlins (49-76) snapped a pair of streaks. They had lost six straight overall and 12 in a row on the road. JT Riddle went 3-for-4 with a homer and tied a career high with four RBIs and Derek Dietrich smacked a solo homer. Isaac Galloway provided a two-run single in the 10th. "It was a huge win for us, especially to bounce back twice tonight after they tied the game up," Riddle said. "We could have very easily shut it down when they came back and tied it up and shut it down again when they tied it up again in the ninth." |