Game 69 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins

It was not a good trip to New York, to say the least, for the Nationals. They weren’t just swept by the Mets. They seemed to reach new lows in terms of their offensive slump, going 22 innings without scoring a run between the top of the fifth Tuesday and the top of the ninth Thursday. Not good.

The Mets, to their credit, are one of the best teams in baseball, with the best pitching staff in baseball. Now comes a seven-game homestand against two of the worst teams in baseball, each possessing one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball. If the Nats can’t win a bunch of games against the Marlins and Rockies … well, that’s not going to be a pleasant conversation one week from today.

Miami is up first, a team that has lost eight of its last 10 games, including a three-game sweep at the hands of (wait for it) the Rockies. Edward Cabrera has been OK (2-2, 3.99 ERA, 1.470 WHIP), and he already pitched well against the Nationals once this season (two runs over 5 2/3 innings). The lineup needs to try to jump on the right-hander early and create some positive momentum for a change.

Mitchell Parker opposed Cabrera on that April 11 game in Miami and likewise pitched OK (four runs, three earned in six innings). All four runs came in the bottom of the fifth, which is counter to Parker’s usual narrative of struggling in the first inning before settling down. We’ll see if he can get his evening off to a positive start as well and help put his team in position to win what feels like a must-win game.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. MIAMI MARLINS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Chance of storms, 80 degrees, wind 10 mph right field to left field

MARLINS
2B Xavier Edwards
DH Agustín Ramírez
SS Otto Lopez
1B Eric Wagaman
3B Connor Norby
CF Dane Myers
RF Kyle Stowers
LF Heriberto Hernandez
C Nick Fortes

RHP Edward Cabrera

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
LF James Wood
1B Nathaniel Lowe
2B Luis García Jr.
DH Josh Bell
RF Alex Call
3B José Tena
C Keibert Ruiz
CF Robert Hassell III

LHP Mitchell Parker