Marlins Aim for Series Sweep Against Nationals in Washington

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania – The Miami Marlins seek their first series sweep of the season as they face the Washington Nationals Sunday afternoon. The Marlins will head into the game fresh off a narrow 4-3 victory on Saturday, where they held off a late rally from the Nationals, who scored twice in the ninth inning but left the bases loaded.

Miami has been on an upswing, looking for their first three-game winning streak since April 20-22. While they have not completed a full series sweep yet this season, they did take three out of four games in their season-opening set against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In the series finale, the Marlins will send right-hander Eury Perez (0-1, 12.00 ERA) to the mound, who will face left-hander MacKenzie Gore (3-5, 2.88). This will mark Perez’s second start since returning from Tommy John surgery, which sidelined him for parts of the 2023 season and all of 2024. In his first start back, Perez struggled in a 10-3 loss to the Pirates, allowing four runs on four hits over three innings.

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough praised Perez’s potential, noting, “I thought he threw some good sliders, the fastball obviously had good velocity, and I think the command will continue to come as he just gets back out there and gets back into the rhythm and the flow of things.” Since addressing his previous struggles, Perez holds a 1-0 record with a solid 2.30 ERA against the Nationals in his three prior starts against them.

Gore comes off an impressive performance where he recorded a 1.19 ERA over his last four starts, striking out 33 batters in 22 2/3 innings. He was unable to secure a win in his last outing against the New York Mets despite leaving with a 4-2 lead after six innings. Manager Dave Martinez commented, “I thought it was one of those days where we made pitches when we needed to.”

On Saturday, Jesus Sanchez delivered a strong performance with two hits, including a home run, while Calvin Faucher closed out the game by retiring James Wood in the ninth. Liam Hicks and Dane Myers also contributed with two hits each, helping the Marlins secure a win and increase their record to three wins in the last four games.

The Nationals are on a challenging streak, having lost seven consecutive games, and manager Dave Martinez expressed frustration with the team’s late-game performances, saying, “We’ve got to start rallying from the first inning on. The first inning means a lot too, not just the last two.” They have struggled offensively, managing only 30 runs across 12 games this month.

As Miami strives for a sweep, the focus will be on both team’s pitchers, who hold the potential to sway the outcome of this crucial matchup.