Sunday’s series finale between the Miami Marlins and Washington Nationals at Nationals Park closes out a three-game set between two struggling National League East teams looking for signs of life before the All-Star break. The Marlins, currently 25–41, have taken the first two games of the series and aim to complete the sweep behind emerging starter Eury Pérez, while the Nationals, at 30–38, are reeling from a five-game losing streak that has exposed the fragility of their offense and bullpen. Pérez, who holds a 2–3 career record and a 3.89 ERA against Washington, enters the contest with a chance to build on a solid stretch of starts where he’s shown improved command and mound presence, crucial for a Miami club that lacks depth and consistency in its rotation. His counterpart, Nationals left-hander MacKenzie Gore, comes in with a 3–5 record but an impressive 2.88 ERA, and he’s often been the lone bright spot in a Washington pitching staff that’s suffered from a lack of support both offensively and from the bullpen. Gore will need to deliver a high-quality outing to give the Nats a chance, as the offense has sputtered badly during this skid, averaging just 1.6 runs over the past five games and showing an alarming inability to drive in runners in scoring position.

The Marlins, by contrast, have seen sparks at the plate from Kyle Stowers, who leads the team with 10 home runs and a .276 average, and Xavier Edwards, batting .280 with timely contact and a good eye at the plate. Though Miami’s overall offensive output has been among the league’s worst this season, they’ve found ways to string together productive innings in this series and have capitalized on Washington’s mistakes, both in the field and from the mound. The Nationals are led offensively by James Wood, who has produced 72 hits and 45 RBIs, and CJ Abrams, hitting .274, but neither has been able to jumpstart the team’s stagnant attack in recent games. Defensively, both clubs have been average but not game-changing, and both bullpens have been unreliable—Miami’s with a 5.06 ERA, Washington’s even worse at 5.70—meaning whichever starter can go deeper may dictate the outcome. While the Nationals are slightly better against the spread overall this season, they’ve failed to cover in their last five games, a reflection of their downward spiral. For Miami, a win would mark a rare road sweep and inject sorely needed confidence into a team in search of any kind of momentum, while the Nationals desperately need to stop the bleeding and avoid being swept by a last-place divisional rival at home. The matchup promises to hinge on early scoring, starting pitching stamina, and whether either offense can finally break through with a timely big inning. Given recent trends, the Marlins hold the edge, but the pressure is squarely on Washington to defend their home turf and reestablish some pride before the losing streak defines their June entirely.