First pitch: Tuesday, 7:10 p.m. ET
Line: Washington -120, Miami +110, Total: 9.0

The Marlins will be going for their second straight home win over the Nationals on Tuesday.

The Nationals have lost two straight games heading into Tuesday, and they’ll need to win this one in order to give themselves a chance to win this series on Wednesday. Washington had a 6-0 lead in Monday’s meeting with Miami, but the Marlins scratched and clawed their way back into it. They ended up winning that one 8-7, and they have now won four of their past six and seven of their past 11. The starters in this big Tuesday matchup are set to be LHP Gio Gonzalez (6-1, 2.89 ERA, 79 K) for the Nationals and RHP Edinson Volquez (3-7, 3.72 ERA, 68 K) for the Marlins. Both guys have the capability of pitching complete gems in this one, so don’t be shocked if this game is a lot lower scoring than Monday’s matchup. One trend that favors the Nats when looking at this game is the fact that Washington is 29-11 against the money line in home games in night games over the past two seasons. The Marlins are, however, 28-18 against lefties over the past two seasons.

The Nationals are coming off of a tough loss on Monday night, but they should be able to regroup here. They’ll have Gio Gonzalez on the mound for this one, and the lefty has been as reliable as they come this season. Gonzalez has allowed three or fewer earned runs in each of his past five starts for Washington, and he has also struck out five or more batters in six straight games. He has been doing an unbelievable job of missing bats this season, and he should not have many problems dealing with this Marlins lineup. Offensively, 2B Daniel Murphy (.342 BA, 11 HR, 47 RBI) and 1B Ryan Zimmerman (.346 BA, 19 HR, 54 RBI) are two guys that should be able to step it up in this one. The two of them are a combined 13-for-28 with seven RBI against Volquez in their careers. They both also happen to be having ridiculous seasons, and they are seeing the ball as well as ever.

If the Marlins are going to win a second straight against the Nationals on Thursday then they will need Edinson Volquez to come through for them. Volquez is certainly capable of doing just that, as he pitched a no hitter for Miami just three starts ago. He did, however, allow four earned runs in four innings of work in his most recent outing against the Athletics. The Marlins can’t afford to have that version of Volquez on the mound in this one. Offensively, OF Giancarlo Stanton (.283 BA, 18 HR, 46 RBI) is one guy to keep an eye on in this one. Stanton came up huge for the Marlins last game, hitting a solo shot to tie the game at 7-7. Miami went on to win, and Stanton’s 3-for-5 night was certainly a factor. That game snapped a two-game hitless streak for Stanton, and the Marlins are hoping that he has woken up now.