Game 146 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins

The Nationals spent the last two nights facing a Braves team desperate for every win it can get as it tries to beat out the Mets for the final wild card berth in the National League. For the next four nights, they’ll face a Marlins team with absolutely nothing to play for. So, the intensity level may be ramped down a bit here over the weekend.

The Nats have absolutely owned Miami this season, winning their first eight head-to-head matchups before finally losing for the first time last week. They’ve got a chance to really put the finishing touches on a dominant performance with at least three more wins this weekend, which would also go a long toward their goal of improving upon last year’s 71-91 record. (They need to go 7-10 the rest of the way to do that.)

Mitchell Parker gets the start, and two of the rookies strongest starts this season have come against the Marlins. The lefty has allowed two runs in 10 innings against them, though he hasn’t faced them since June 16.

The Nationals lineup faces an unknown in Darren McGaughan, a 28-year-old right-hander making only his third career start. A waiver claim from the Guardians earlier this summer, McGaughan owns a 5.14 ERA in 106 career Triple-A starts. He’s not a flamethrower: His fastball averages only 89 mph, and he throws more sweepers than anything else.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs MIAMI MARLINS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 79 degrees, wind 8 mph in from right field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Dylan Crews
LF James Wood
DH Andrés Chaparro 
3B José Tena
C Keibert Ruiz
2B Luis García Jr. 
1B Joey Gallo
CF Jacob Young

LHP Mitchell Parker

MARLINS
3B Connor Norby
DH Jonah Bride
1B Jake Burger
SS Otto Lopez
CF Cristian Pache
LF Kyle Stowers
RF David Hensley
C Nick Fortes
2B Javier Sanoja

RHP Darren McCaughan