First pitch from Nationals Park is set for 6:45 PM ET, with Lake Bachar (0-0, 3.77) getting the ball for Miami and Miles Mikolas (1-4, 6.08) going for Washington. Bachar is a reliever by trade — he's only ever gone up to 2 innings in an outing — so this is functionally a bullpen day for the Marlins, with a parade of arms behind him.
Mikolas, meanwhile, has been the Nats' most frustrating reclamation project. The 6.08 ERA tells most of the story, but he's actually been better lately — a 3.48 ERA across his last 7 appearances, and he's allowed 2 or fewer runs in 4 of his last 6 starts. His last start on May 12 in Cincinnati was a short one: 3.1 IP, 1 ER, 71 pitches, no decision. He's pitched noticeably better in bulk-relief looks than as a traditional starter this year, which makes Tuesday's straight-up start an interesting test.
The form lines tell you everything about why this line landed where it did. Miami came into D.C. having been outscored 25-9 across a three-game wipeout in Queens, then turned around and dropped 7 on the Nats in the series opener. Washington had just taken 2 of 3 from the Padres at home before that, so neither side has had any real consistency — they're both flipping coins. Pinnacle has the Nats at -135 with the total parked at 8.5.
The injury list is where this gets ugly, especially for the Marlins' rotation. Eury Perez (gracilis), Janson Junk (shin), Robby Snelling (internal brace surgery), and Adam Mazur are all down — which is half the reason Bachar is opening tonight in the first place. Andrew Nardi got moved to the 60-day IL on top of that. Washington has its own rotation problems with Jake Irvin still shut down from throwing, but they get a boost in the lineup: Dylan Crews (hand) returns Tuesday per manager Blake Butera.
- Day-To-DayKemp Alderman RF — Triple-A Jacksonville placed Alderman on the 7-day injured list Tuesday due to a left wrist injury, Michael Germanese of Roundtable.io reports.
- Day-To-DayThomas White SP — Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix said Sunday that White is recovering from "a bit of a shoulder thing," Kyle Sielaff of Marlins.tv reports.
- 15-Day-ILJosh Ekness RP — The Marlins recalled Ekness from Triple-A Jacksonville on Friday.
- 15-Day-ILJanson Junk SP — The Marlins placed Junk on the 15-day injured list Sunday due to right shin bone inflammation, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILEury Perez SP — The Marlins placed Perez on the 15-day injured list Friday, retroactive to Thursday, due to a right gracilis strain.
- 60-Day-ILGriffin Conine LF — Conine (hamstring) appears to be a week or two away from beginning a rehab assignment, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.
- 60-Day-ILAndrew Nardi RP — The Marlins transferred Nardi (ribcage) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.
- 60-Day-ILRobby Snelling SP — Snelling underwent internal brace surgery Friday to repair a torn UCL in his left elbow.
- Day-To-DayDylan Crews CF — Nationals manager Blake Butera said Monday that Crews (hand) will be back in the lineup Tuesday against the Marlins, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
- Day-To-DayTyler Stuart SP — no
- Day-To-DayTyler Baum DH — Baum has not pitched this year due an undisclosed injury.
- Day-To-DayTravis Sykora SP — Sykora will undergo a UCL reconstruction on his right elbow in two weeks, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
- Day-To-DayJarlin Susana RP — Susana underwent surgery last week to repair a right lat tear, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.
- 15-Day-ILJake Irvin SP — Nationals manager Blake Butera said Monday that Irvin (shoulder) remains shut down from throwing, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILMax Kranick RP — The Nationals transferred Kranick (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Monday.
- 60-Day-ILDJ Herz SP — Herz (elbow) will throw to live hitters Friday at the Nationals' spring training facility in Florida, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
The play here is just figuring out how long Bachar lasts and which Marlins arms follow. Miami's bullpen got a full night off in Monday's 7-3 win, so there's depth available, but stringing together 8-plus innings of clean relief against a Nats lineup that just hung 9 on San Diego is a tall ask. If Mikolas pitches like the May version of himself, Washington is the right side. If the April version shows up, the Marlins steal another one.