Game Notes: Miami Marlins (7-8) vs. Washington Nationals (6-12); Tuesday, April 26, 2022

Game Information

Matchup: Miami Marlins (7-8) vs. Washington Nationals (6-12)
Pitching Matchup: RHP Sandy Alcantara (1-0) (1.86) RHP Josiah Gray (2-1) (3.14)
Game Info: Tuesday, April 26, 2022, at 7:05 pm
Location: Nationals Park | Washington D.C.
TV/Radio: MASN 2 | Radio: 106.7 The Fan / Nationals Radio Network
Game #19/Home #12

Washington Nationals Story Line: Washington Nationals look to break their five-game losing streak as the Marlins come to Washington D.C.

The Marlins come to Washington D.C. with a 7-8 record overall but they have won two games in a row over the Atlanta Braves. On Sunday, the Marlins gave up three runs in the 9th inning but still held on for a run victory. The Marlins are averaging 8.067 hits per game but they are averaging only 3.93 runs per game. The best offensive player for the Marlins has been Jazz Chisholm, and he has hit four home runs and driven in 15 RBIs.

Getting the start for the Marlins will be Sandy Alcantara and he sits with a 1-0 record and an ERA of 1.86. In his last start against the Marlins, he went eight innings giving up four hits and zero runs.

The Marlins are 1-4 in their last five games following an off day. The Marlins are 1-4 in their last five games started by Alcantara on the road. The under is 4-0 in the Marlins’ last four games during Game 1 of the series. The under is 7-2-1 in the Nationals’ last 10 games following a loss. The over is 6-1-1 in the Nationals’ last eight games against a right-handed starter

The Washington Nationals sit with a 6-12 record overall and at home they have gone 3-8. The Nationals have lost five games in a row and they were swept over the weekend against the San Francisco Giants. On Sunday the pitching staff really struggled giving up 12 runs. Josh Bell has been the top offensive player hitting two home runs and driving in 12 RBIs.

Getting the start for the Nationals will be Josiah Gray and he sits with a 2-1 record and an ERA of 3.14.

Back to the Future:

Back in 2013, the Washington Nationals’ blanked Cincinnati, 1-0, as Jordan Zimmermann posted the first shutout of his career. Zimmermann one-hit the Reds with Xavier Paul’s third-inning single serving as his lone blemish. Coupling Zimmermann’s one-hitter with the combined one-hitter recorded by Gio Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano the day before, the Nationals became the first D.C.-based team to toss consecutive one-hitters since the AL Nationals did it Aug. 10-11, 1917 vs. Chicago (AL).

Today’s GameNotes: What you need to know

Pack your bags: Tonight, the Washington Nationals will begin a three-game series against the Miami Marlins, and it will be the first time that the two teams will meet in 2022. In 2021, the Nationals went 11-8 against the Marlins and outscored the Marlins 101-68. After this series, the Nationals will kick off a nine-game, 10-day road trip that will take them to San Francisco, Colorado, and then end in Los Angeles.

Ring the Bell: First baseman Josh Bell has hit safely in 13 of 17 games so far this season and has only struck out twice in 45 plate appearances since April 12. Bell is hitting .294 with 23 doubles, one triple, 26 home runs, 90 RBIs, 68 walks, and 69 runs scored in 138 games dating back to May 13, 2021.

Juan walks the line: Outfielder Juan Soto leads Major League Baseball with 16 walks and is tied for ninth in the NL with 11 runs. Soto has also reached base safely in eight of the last 11 games and in 14 of 18 games this season.

Ruiz is on fire: On Sunday afternoon, catcher Keibert Ruiz went 2-for-3 with a double, a hit by a pitch, and a run scored. Ruiz has recorded multi-hits in three of his last four starts and is going 6-for-14 with a batting average of .429. The 6-for-14 includes two doubles, one RBI, one hit by a pitch, and one run scored. Ruiz is tied for sixth in the National League for his six multi-hit games. Since joining the Washington Nationals, Ruiz has a 6.9% strikeout rate which leads the National League.

Bahama Born: Washington’s Lucius Fox and Miami’s Jazz Chisholm Jr. are both natives of Nassau, Bahamas. Should the two players appear together in a game this week, it will be the first time two Bahamian-born players have appeared in the same game since April 22, 1961: Andre Roberts (CHI) and Tony Curry (PHI). Only nine Bahamian-born players have appeared in a Major League game. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Roberts and Curry are the only two natives of the Bahamas to appear in the same game in Major League history.

Today is Gray Day: RHP Josiah Gray will face the Marlins for the first time in 2022 and is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA (4 ER/12.0 IP), four walks, and 15 strikeouts in just two career starts against the Marlins. Gray earned his second win of the season on April 19 when the Nationals faced the Arizona Diamondbacks where he allowed one earned run on three hits with two walks and a season-high eight strikeouts across 5.1 innings pitched. Gray has thrown his 4-seam fastball 50% of the time, his curveball 28%, his slider 15%, and his changeup 5.6 according to MLB Statcast.

Gray is the second pitcher in Nationals history (2005-pres.) to record at least 10 strike-outs in one of his first two starts with the team (Stephen Strasburg, 6/8/2009 vs. PIT).