Marlins Aim For Rare Series Win Against First Place Nationals
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Following a series opener dominated by pitching, the Miami Marlins and Washington Nationals put their offensive talents on display Tuesday night.
The Nationals jumped out to an early 6-0 lead only to see their advantage evaporate thanks to a leaky bullpen, giving the Marlins an impressive 7-6 comeback win.
Marcell Ozuna provided the biggest shot of the game with a three-run homer, giving him 25 dingers and a whopping 84 RBIs on the season.
Washington holds a 13.5 game lead over the second place Marlins in the NL East and Miami trails the second Wild Card spot by 9.5 games with just 57 games remaining on the schedule.
GAME NOTES: First pitch 7:10 PM, Marlins Park
PITCHING MATCHUP: Nationals RHP A.J. Cole (1-0, 1.50 ERA) vs. Marlins RHP Vance Worley (0-2, 6.42)
Thanks to a rainout and a doubleheader, the Nationals needed an extra arm for their rotation. Cole was called up to make his second MLB start this season and first since May 6.
He allowed one run in six innings while earning a win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
So far this year at Triple-A Syracuse, Cole has a 4-4 record over 16 starts while posting a 5.66 ERA.
Cole started two games against Miami last September, allowing a combined six runs and 10 hits in seven innings.
Worley will be making just his second start for Miami in over a month.
He went four innings, giving up three runs in the first before firing three straight scoreless frames.
A strong outing by Worley could help him remain in a Marlins rotation that has been ravaged by injuries and underperforming.
ROUNDING THE BASES
- The Marlins announced on Tuesday that Edinson Volques and JT Riddle would miss the rest of the season due to injuries.
- Brad Ziegler earned his first save as Miami's new closer on Tuesday following the trade of A.J. Ramos to the Mets last month.
- Bryce Harper has more home runs against the Marlins (22) than any other team in the majors.
- Daniel Murphy is 12-for-22 in his career against Worley with two doubles and a triple.
