Can the Rusty Nationals Pitching Staff Overcome Early Setbacks to Secure the Series Win?

Ever have one of those days where the baseball gods just laugh in your face? Yeah, that was me yesterday—expecting the Yankees to dominate, only to witness them getting steamrolled 11-1 by the Tigers. Then, tossing my chips on the under for Brewers vs. Rangers, only to see Brewers lose but the runs fly high. Oof! But hey, that’s the game, right? A rough patch here and there keeps the thrill alive. Now, as I swivel back to the diamond tonight, it’s Nationals versus Marlins at 6:40 ET, and I can’t help but wonder—can the Nationals, a team destined for the cellar, surprise us? With MacKenzie Gore taking the mound, a pitcher neither blazing nor shaky, making his comeback from injury, there’s a flicker of hope. The Marlins, once unexpectedly feisty, have since wilted in recent games, sending us pondering: will Ryan Weathers’ return spark something, or is this just another stumble? One thing’s for sure—this clash won’t be boring. Expect some runs, some twists, and maybe that elusive bounce back we’re all craving. Ready to dive in? LEARN MORE.

Nationals vs. Marlins, 6:40 ET

It was a bad day for me on the diamond with the Tigers killing the Yankees, winning 11-1 in a matchup I expected the Yankees to have the advantage in. On the other side, I took the under in the game between the Brewers and Rangers. The Brewers lost the game, which was a prediction I had, but my official play was on the under. It was a tough day, and I am once again in need of a bounce back. Luckily we have football to enjoy this weekend, and I can dodge a bit of baseball after today. Today, we back the Nationals vs. Marlins.

The Nationals are going nowhere, and honestly, before this season, I expected them to finish fourth in the National League East, but they are almost certainly going to finish in last place. I suppose if you’re not making the playoffs, it doesn’t matter where you finish in your division, but no one wants to be last. The team had high expectations this year, but they never lived up to them. They traded away one of their decent starters, but he only made one start for the Cubs and didn’t even complete a full game. The team probably needed to be more active at the trade deadline because there are only a few guys on the roster that you should build around. Today, they have one of the pieces they can build around, MacKenzie Gore. Gore is just 5-13 for the season with a 4.15 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. I won’t say that the guy is unreal or that he is a Cy Young winner in the making, but he is a reliable starter, someone that should be a second or third starter on a good team. He hasn’t pitched in a couple of weeks because of injury, but he had a decent enough August. Aside from the first start of the month, he went 21.1 innings and allowed eight earned runs. He has gone six innings in both of his starts against Miami this season, allowing four runs in his road start, and two in his home start.

The Marlins were actually competitive for a decent chunk of the season, something that most probably didn’t expect out of them. I had them finishing fifth in the division, but the Braves collapse allowed them to be third in the division. The second half of the season has squashed any potential that the Marlins had for a postseason run. They were 44-51 at the deadline, and have gone five games under .500. They’ve gone just 2-7 over their past nine games. Today they put Ryan Weathers on the hill in hopes that he can give the Marlins some innings. He is just 1-1 for the season with a 3.28 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. He also is coming off of the injured list today to make his start. The difference is that he hasn’t started since June 7th, so his absence has been quite longer than Gore’s. He only has a total of five starts for the year as well. He has only faced the Nationals hitters in 17 at-bats, but the three hits he has allowed have all been doubles. 

This is the seventh games between the Marlins and Nationals since the start of September, and the Marlins are 1-5 against them. After today, it will be 1-6. I actually like their starter, Weathers, but I don’t love how the Marlins have been playing. Additionally, I do think that Gore is the better pitcher. I suppose they could be a bit careful with him coming back from injury. I think the best way to play this game is to put a unit on the Nationals to win and a unit on the over as both pitchers should allow some runs. 

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