Florida @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 16, 2011 ) Florida 3, Washington 0

THE STORY: Washington Nationals phenom Stephen Strasburg will vie for his first major league victory in nearly 14 months when he faces the visiting Florida Marlins on Saturday. Strasburg will be making his third start for the Nationals since working his way back from Tommy John surgery. The young hurler has shown flashes of brilliance in his previous two outings, but hasn't tasted victory since July 21, 2010. With both teams waving goodbye to any thought of the postseason long ago, Strasburg is sure to be the center of attention in this one.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FSFL (Florida), MASN2 (Washington)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins RH Chris Volstad (5-12, 5.31 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Stephen Strasburg (0-1, 1.12 ERA)

The bottom has fallen out on Volstad's season in a hurry. The former first-round pick has dropped four straight decisions and hasn't won since July 10. To his credit, Volstad is still battling, having yielded just two earned runs in his last three outings. He has faced the Nationals three times this season, picking up a loss and two no-decisions in the process.

In his last outing on Sunday, Strasburg permitted one run on three hits in three innings against the Houston Astros. His night was cut short after just 57 pitches by manager Davey Johnson, who admitted that he is being cautious with the franchise's centerpiece. The top overall pick of the 2009 draft is not expected to be on a pitch count Saturday. He has split a pair of career decisions against the Marlins.

ABOUT THE MARLINS (68-83): Javier Vazquez recorded his eighth career shutout in perhaps his final outing before retirement as Florida snapped a four-game losing skid with a 3-0 triumph on Friday. Emilio Bonifacio had three hits to mark his sixth multi-hit contest in 11 games. Mike Stanton also had three hits, including an RBI double, on Friday, but has just one hit against Strasburg in their brief careers. The Marlins continue to make themselves at home in the nation's capital, winning 12 of the last 13 meetings between the National League East rivals.

ABOUT THE NATIONALS (71-78): Washington saw its five-game winning streak come to a crashing halt Friday. Although the Nationals had capped a four-game sweep of the New York Mets with a dominating 10-1 rout on Thursday, they mustered just five singles 24 hours later. With 11 hits in his previous 22 at-bats, Ian Desmond came up empty on Friday with an 0-for-4 effort. He has fared well versus Volstad, collecting 12 hits in 21 career at-bats.

FINAL PITCH: “(Vazquez has) just been an inspiration to some of the guys around here. If they can’t get anything out of that pitching clinic tonight, they’re in trouble.” – Florida manager Jack McKeon.