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Nationals-Marlins Preview

Sep 1, 2010 - 4:05 AM By ALAN FERGUSON STATS Writer

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

Since his stint in the minors last month, Florida Marlins starter Chris Volstad appears more refreshed. A matchup with the Washington Nationals could keep him looking that way.

The right-hander will try to win his third consecutive start and fourth in a row over the Nationals in Wednesday night's finale of a three-game series.

Volstad was 1-6 with a 5.22 ERA over an 11-start span before the Marlins (66-65) sent him down to Triple-A New Orleans on July 6. He was recalled almost three weeks later when Nate Robertson was released.

Since his return July 25, Volstad (8-9, 4.61 ERA) has won four of five decisions and has a 1.93 ERA in posting back-to-back victories. He allowed one run and no walks over eight innings in Friday's 7-1 victory over NL East-leading Atlanta.

"In the beginning of the season, I was pitching well," Volstad told the team's website. "I had a couple of rough ones where I didn't give the team a chance. Now, I just feel like I've been getting deeper into games and keeping it close."

Volstad earned one of those victories since returning against Washington, a 9-5 win Aug. 11. He's 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA in three starts against the Nationals (57-76) this season and recorded his second career complete game in his only home matchup, throwing a four-hitter.

While Volstad has thrived recently, former teammate Scott Olsen (3-7, 4.91) has dropped his past five starts. In the Aug. 11 loss, the left-hander was tagged for a season-worst seven runs while failing to make it out of the second inning.

Olsen, who spent his first four seasons with the Marlins, gave up three runs - one earned - over six innings in a 4-2 loss to St. Louis on Friday, the same day the Nationals learned star rookie Stephen Strasburg was done for the season. The team announced that Strasburg will have Tommy John surgery Friday in Los Angeles.

"There's no words that I can put in place here that would indicate we could possibly replace Stephen," manager Jim Riggleman said. "But we have to do it a different way, different names, different staff members who will go out there and fulfill the rotation until Stephen comes back."

Olsen has a 7.40 ERA during his losing streak but has also been given a combined four runs of support. He's 1-2 with a 6.93 ERA in five starts against the Marlins, who snapped a three-game skid with Tuesday's 1-0 win in 10 innings.

After producing one hit in the first nine frames, Florida got two in the final inning, with Chad Tracy's single scoring Hanley Ramirez.

A strained right groin might keep Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla out of his third straight game. Uggla, who had started the team's previous 129 games, might not return until Friday, manager Edwin Rodriguez told the team's website.