The Miami Marlins and Washington Nationals are playing an NL East matchup on Thursday and the game on the MLB schedule is live at 4:05 pm ET from Nats Park and it has the DC team playing very well this season and the pitching matchup has Stephen Strasburg on the hill against Tom Koehler and the stream is from the MLB.com website.
The Nationals come into the game at 6-2 and they are first in the division this season and they are looking to make a comeback after missing the playoffs last season and that came after the team won its first NL East title two years ago. Strasburg comes into the game at 0-1 after getting roughed up in his first couple starts and he has a six plus ERA and while he was solid in his first start with 10 strikeouts, he ended up giving up six runs overall and three earned. He also gave up eight hits against the Atlanta Braves and he is hoping to be sharper heading into the start against the Marlins.
Miami counters with Koehler and he has been solid after opening with two runs in six innings and getting a win against San Diego and he has been 3-0 over his past four starts and he has previously pitched twice against the Nationals, going 1-1 in those games. The Marlins are hoping to have a bounce back season after being one of the worst teams in baseball last year and they come into the game after losing against Miami. Washington comes in after they got the win with a comeback and they had Tyler Clippard with the win and Rafael Soriano with the save and they open up a series against the rival Braves on Friday and that will be on the road at Turner Field.
The Nationals come into the game in the top 10 in runs scored the season and they are 11th in batting average and they are in the top 10 in on base and slugging percentage and the Marlins and the Braves will try and quiet those bats down on Thursday. The pitching has been stellar as well overall and they rank in the top five in ERA and they have also been good with the quality starts, as they have four overall and they are also 10th in opponents' batting average.
The Marlins have been hitting the ball very well and they are in the top five in runs, batting average and on base percentage and they are sixth in slugging this season. The team is in the top half of the league in ERA and the top five in quality starts and they have been playing above expectations so far this season.
Check here for the Miami Marlins and Washington National live coverage from MLB.
