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Nationals-Marlins Preview

Aug 31, 2010 - 6:21 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Washington (57-75) at Florida (65-65), 7:10 p.m. EDT

A revived offense has the Washington Nationals on the verge of their longest winning streak of the season. Achieving that might not be easy against Anibal Sanchez.

The Nationals look for a fourth straight victory and a rare productive effort against Sanchez when they continue their road series with the Florida Marlins on Tuesday night.

Adam Dunn and Ryan Zimmerman hit three-run homers and combined for seven RBIs as Washington (57-75) snapped a five-game skid to Florida with a 9-3 win Monday. The game was delayed almost three hours by rain.

"When (Adam and I) get going and do what were supposed to do and drive guys in, obviously it helps our offense," Zimmerman said.

After totaling five runs during a four-game slide, the Nationals have scored 40 while winning four of five. Washington will try a sixth time to win four in a row.

Dunn is 6 for 10 with two home runs and nine RBIs in his last three games after going 3 for 34 with 19 strikeouts in his previous 11. He is 5 for 13 with two homers in his last three games against the Marlins (65-65) and a lifetime .294 hitter against Sanchez (11-8, 3.29 ERA).

The right-hander has gone 4-0 with a 2.66 ERA in 11 starts versus Washington, including 1-0 with a 1.64 ERA in two this year.

Sanchez has posted a 2.19 ERA while winning three of his last four outings overall. He allowed four runs and walked five in five innings but set a career high for wins with an 11-4 victory at New York on Thursday.

"That's baseball," Sanchez told the Marlins' official website. "Sometimes you pitch good and you lose. Sometimes you don't have your best stuff and you just try to fight on the mound."

Hanley Ramirez and Brett Hayes homered Monday for the Marlins, losers of three in a row and five of eight since a five-game winning streak.

Ramirez has gone 15 for 28 with three home runs and seven RBIs in his last seven games. The star shortstop is batting .375 with six homers and 10 RBIs in 13 games versus Washington in 2010.

Florida second baseman Dan Uggla is uncertain to play after being scratched Monday with a strained groin. It was the first game of the season Uggla missed after starting the first 129.

He is 5 for 12 with a homer and five RBIs against the Nationals this season.

Washington's Jordan Zimmermann (0-0, 11.25) makes his second start since returning from Tommy John surgery. The right-hander allowed five runs in four innings of an 11-10, 13-inning win over St. Louis on Thursday, his first appearance since July 18, 2009.

"I felt good the whole time," Zimmermann told the Nationals' official website.

He gave up two runs and struck out six in six innings of a 5-3 loss in his only previous appearance versus Florida on July 1, 2009. Zimmermann didn't get a decision.