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Marlins-Nationals Preview

Aug 4, 2009 - 4:48 AM By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer

Florida (55-50) at Washington (33-72), 7:05 p.m. EDT

A pair of clutch homers helped the Florida Marlins rally for a win against a fellow playoff contender. Now, they'll attempt to continue their dominance of the lowly Washington Nationals, and having ace Josh Johnson on the mound should help.

The Marlins look for an 11th consecutive win over the majors' worst team Tuesday night when Johnson opens a three-game series at Nationals Park.

Florida (55-50) got homers from Dan Uggla and Cody Ross on consecutive pitches in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Chicago Cubs 3-2 on Sunday.

The Marlins are in the thick of the playoff race, five games behind NL East-leading Philadelphia and three-games back of wild card-leading Colorado with St. Louis and San Francisco in between.

"We've got one thing in mind," said Ross, who hit two solo homers Sunday. "I think everyone knows what that is."

Three games against the Nationals (34-72) presents Florida with a golden opportunity to close the gap on the Phillies and Rockies. The Marlins have won 25 of the last 28 meetings against Washington, including a 10-1 record in the nation's capital.

That dominance also includes a 10-game winning streak, during which the Marlins have hit .306 with 16 homers while outscoring Washington 70-39. They took all three games at home June 29-July 1, completing their third sweep of the Nationals this season.

Johnson (10-2, 2.87 ERA) has enjoyed his own success against the Nationals, going 4-0 with a 3.42 ERA in eight games - seven starts. All of the right-hander's starts versus them have resulted in wins for Florida, including three this year while he's posted a 1-0 mark and a 3.94 ERA.

Johnson has parlayed a 3.20 ERA into a personal three-game winning streak, which he extended in Wednesday's 6-3 victory over Atlanta. In that contest, he allowed three runs and eight hits in six innings while helping himself with a three-run homer.

"I look around baseball and I say, 'If I was going to take one pitcher for my team to start the game that we had to win, right now I'd pick Josh Johnson,'" Marlins catcher John Baker told the team's official Web site.

Hanley Ramirez, the NL leader with a .342 batting average, has only one hit in four games after collecting 15 during a 10-game hitting streak. The All-Star shortstop owns a .387 average with 11 homers and 32 RBIs in his last 27 games against Washington.

The Nationals, owners of the worst record in baseball, are looking to win a third consecutive game after beating Pittsburgh 8-4 on Monday for a split of that four-game set.

Adam Dunn had three hits, including a three-run homer, after he managed two total hits in the previous four games. The right fielder will try to carry some of his momentum back home, where he's hitting .419 (13 for 31) in the last nine games. That's a vast improvement from his .205 average over the first 44 contests there.

Washington rookie J.D. Martin (0-2, 7.70) will make his first start against Florida as he tries to rebound from his second loss in three starts.

The right-hander gave up five runs and seven hits, including two homers, in six innings of a 7-3 loss at Milwaukee on Thursday.