Miami Marlins (20-21) vs Washington Nationals (18-23)
Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at 6:40 pm
That certainly includes left-hander Jesus Luzardo, who will start for Miami on Tuesday. Luzardo (3-2, 3.38 ERA) has been Miami's best-starting pitcher so far this season.
But Luzardo has yet to beat Washington in four career starts, going 0-2 with a 7.58 ERA.
The Nationals are the opposite of the Marlins: They slumped in March and April (10-17) but have improved in May (8-6).
On Tuesday, Washington will start right-hander Josiah Gray (3-5, 2.96). In eight career starts against the Marlins, Gray is 1-3 with a 4.96 ERA. In five starts in Miami, though, he is 1-1 with a 3.41 ERA.
Last season, Gray had trouble commanding his fastball and led the National League in home runs (38) and walks (66) allowed. But Gray, who has a plus slider, is 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA over his past four starts.
Gray, in his third season with Washington, is one of his team's younger veterans at age 25. The Nationals won the World Series in 2019 but had their team gutted since then as management traded away established standouts in a massive rebuilding effort.