Let's take a look at the projected pitching matchups for the series against the Miami Marlins.

Thursday, June 24: RHP Joe Ross (3-7, 4.54 ERA) vs. RHP Cody Poteet (2-2, 3.90 ERA) | First Pitch: 7:10 pm

Joe Ross gets to go first in this four-game set against the Miami Marlins, and he will be looking to bounce back after his last outing. He went only five innings on 67 pitches against the Mets last time up, giving up five runs as well. His ERA had been steadily declining until that start, and the Nationals will want to get more out of him against the last-place Marlins.

The Marlins have yet to see Ross this season in their earlier three-game series back at the end of April and early May. Ross has only started four games against Miami in his career, going 1-2 with a 3.54 ERA.

The Marlins are throwing out rookie Cody Poteet, who was a former Nationals 27th-round pick when he was still in high school. To date, Poteet has only pitched past five innings once, on May 23 against the Mets, when he struck out four batters, gave up zero runs, and issued zero walks.

The game can be seen on MASN and heard on 106.7, the Fan.

Friday, June 25: LHP Jon Lester (1-2, 3.96 ERA) vs. RHP Pablo Lopez (3-4, 2.86 ERA) | First Pitch: 7:10 pm

Lester will be making his 11th start of the season this Friday night and will be looking to string together wins for the first time this season. His last outing against the Mets ended up as a six-inning and six-strikeout game for his first win of the season. That was also Lester's second time going six innings this season, which could be a good sign going forward if he can pitch deeper into games.

Lester's first start of the season was against the Marlins at the end of April where he threw five innings on only 70 pitches, walking two and giving up zero runs.

The Marlins are throwing out another young righty to face Lester Friday night in Pablo Lopez. Lopez has been good this season, as shown by his 2.86 ERA. He has shown an ability to go deep into games thus far, averaging 5 ⅔ innings per start and going at least seven innings in four of his last six starts. Lopez and Lester faced each other on April 30, with Lopez going seven innings, giving up zero runs with two strikeouts.

Saturday, June 26: LHP Patrick Corbin (5-5, 5.40 ERA) vs. RHP Zach Thompson (1-2, 1.50 ERA) | First Pitch: 4:10 pm

Patrick Corbin gets the Saturday afternoon game for the Nationals and faces Miami for the second time this season. His first outing, on May 1, lasted seven innings, when he only gave up two runs and led Washington to a 7-2 victory. It seems as though Corbin has deeper outings when the Nationals are scoring runs or at least winning games, so run support will be crucial in this one.

Overall, Corbin has started against the Marlins 13 times and has a 5-3 record, with an ERA of 3.80 and one complete game.

Facing Corbin is another rookie pitcher, Zach Thompson. Thompson has only made three starts this season and has been good in those games. In his starts, he has not been able to pitch deep, pitching five, three, and four innings respectively. If he is not able to go deep and face the lineup multiple times, it could be a prime chance for the Nationals to get to the bullpen early.

Sunday, June 27: RHP Max Scherzer (6-4, 2.19 ERA) vs. RHP Sandy Alcantara (4-6, 2.93 ERA) | First Pitch: 1:10 pm

The Sunday afternoon finale of this series could be must-watch TV with Scherzer back on the hill after his eventful return from the IL. June 22 was Scherzer's first start after the new “substance checks” were instituted, and it was an absolute show. Max has also been pitching at a Cy Young level this season, with only a 2.19 ERA and being fifth in the NL in strikeouts on the season.

Max has faced the Marlins once this season, where he pitched a complete game, giving up one run on 106 pitches. In his career, Max has made 25 starts against Miami, going 14-5 with an ERA of 2.99.

The Marlins are throwing yet another young pitcher to face off against Max Scherzer in Sandy Alcantara. He is one of their best pitchers and has already made 16 starts this season with 101 innings. In his five June starts, he has only given up eight runs and pitched six or more innings in every start.

Series Notes: Miami Marlins

• After a pretty good start in a tight division, Miami has started to skid and now sits in last place in the NL East.
• First baseman Jesus Aguilar leads the Marlins in average, hits and OBP.
• Adam Duvall is leading them in home runs and RBI with Aguilar as the only other player in double-digit home runs for the Marlins.
• The Marlins' longest winning streak is only four games, while their longest losing streak is eight games.