Florida @ Washington preview
Nationals Park
Last Meeting ( Aug 10, 2010 ) Florida 8, Washington 2
After having their way with rookie sensation Stephen Strasburg, the Florida Marlins now get a crack at a former teammate.
The Marlins try for their third straight win tonight when they face Scott Olsen and the Washington Nationals in the middle game of their three-game series.
Florida snapped its five-game losing streak with a victory over St. Louis on Saturday. But the Marlins were rained out on Sunday, giving them an extra day to ponder the prospect of hitting against Strasburg, who tossed six scoreless innings at Sun Life Stadium on July 16.
However, things were much different on Tuesday as Florida tagged the 22-year-old, who returned from a stint on the disabled list due to shoulder stiffness, for six runs in 4 1/3 frames en route to an 8-2 win. Dan Uggla homered and drove in four runs, Hanley Ramirez hit three doubles and scored three times and Wes Helms added a two-run double.
In his last 16 games, Uggla has 10 home runs and 18 RBIs.
The triumph kicked off a 10-game road trip for the Marlins, who have won four of their last five away from home. They hope to continue that success behind Chris Volstad, who already has beaten Washington twice this season.
After tossing his first complete game of the year in a 7-1 victory over the Nationals on May 1, Volstad allowed just two runs and four hits over seven innings in a 4-2 win at Washington six days later.
The 23-year-old is 3-1 with a 4.13 ERA in six career starts against the Nationals. Slugger Adam Dunn is hitting .462 (6-for-13) against Volstad but has just one RBI, while Ryan Zimmerman is 8-for-15 (.533) with two homers and three RBIs.
Volstad is just 1-2 in his last seven starts, including a no-decision in a 5-4 loss to Philadelphia on Thursday, when he yielded two runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Washington, which has lost three games in a row and five of seven, counters with Olsen, who spent the first four years of his career with Florida.
Since joining the Nationals, Olsen has faced his former club four times, going 1-1 with a 4.70 ERA. On April 30, the left-hander pitched six scoreless innings, allowing just five hits in a 7-1 victory at Florida.
But Olsen has posted only one win in his last six outings. The 26-year-old was reached for five runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings of a 6-1 setback at Arizona on Aug. 3.
Marlins catcher Ronny Paulino has fared well against Olsen, going 10-for-23 (.435) with a home run and three RBIs.