Opposite dugout: Mattingly has Marlins hanging tough in competitive NL East

Manager: Don Mattingly (1st season)

Record: 21-19

Last 10 games: 5-5

Who to watch: 3B Martin Prado (.371), LF Christian Yelich (.322/.424/.531 with 5 HR, 20 RBIs), CF Marcell Ozuna (.302 with 21 RBIs), RF Giancarlo Stanton (11 HR, 25 RBIs), RHP Jose Fernandez (5-2, 3.21 ERA), LHP Adam Conley (3-2, 3.40 ERA), RHP A.J. Ramos (1.59 ERA, 12 saves)

Season series vs. Nationals: 5-5

Pitching probables:

May 20: RHP Tanner Roark vs. LHP Justin Nicolino, 7:10 p.m., MASN
May 21: RHP Joe Ross vs. RHP Jose Fernandez, 7:15 p.m., FOX
May 22: RHP Max Scherzer vs. LHP Adam Conley, 1:10 p.m., MASN

Inside the Marlins:

Think a manager in his first year with a new club can't have an immediate impact? Look at what's happening down Miami way, where gritty Don Mattingly has made some discernable headway with the perpetually frustrating Marlins, who are one of four National League East teams on the right side of .500. Lots of wizened pundits expected the Fish to collapse when speedy second baseman Dee Gordon was issued an 80-game suspension for using a performance-enhancing substance. Instead, the Marlins seem to have rallied around their misfortune, shaking off a 5-11 start to the season and playing surprisingly competitive baseball. The Nationals already know this, having split 10 games this season between the teams.

A lot of the Marlins' good fortunes has to do with the facts that slugging right fielder Giancarlo Stanton is healthy and stud right-hander Jose Fernandez is back after Tommy John surgery. Stanton has 11 home runs and 25 RBIs to lead Miami in both categories, but he's got other players picking up the slack. Third baseman Martin Prado is slashing .371/.408/.443 and has taken the collar in only four of 13 May games. Left fielder Christian Yelich has cooled down since hitting .346 in the season's first month, but still boasts a .322 average with 21 RBIs. Center fielder Marcell Ozuna, who almost fell out of favor with the organization last season and wound up at Triple-A New Orleans for a spell, is on a tear in May, slashing .394/.420/.652 and has hits in 17 of 18 games. In Gordon's absence, ageless Ichiro Suzuki has gotten some additional playing time and is hitting .326 - he's only 50 hits shy of 3,000 for his career.

The Marlins have gotten some strong pitching when playing the Nats this season and they hope that trend continues this weekend, when the teams play for the final time until September. Lefty Justin Nicolino, Friday night's starter, had his shortest outing of the season at 4 2/3 innings in a loss to the Nats on May 14, his second straight losing decision. He's given up only one home run in 24 innings this season. He'll face righty Tanner Roark, whom the Marlins have torched to the tune of an 0-3 record and 8.40 ERA this season. Fernandez starts Saturday's nationally televised FOX game, and he's already bested the Nats in both of his 2016 starts against them, most recently allowing a run on four hits with 11 strikeouts in D.C. on May 15. Why shouldn't he? Fernandez has been money versus the Nats, posting a 5-0 record, 1.09 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in eight lifetime starts. Pitching in his home park, he's a spectacular 20-1 with a 1.65 ERA in 30 starts. Lefty Adam Conley gets the call for Sunday's series finale, and he has a 2.93 ERA in three May starts. Conley has won four of his last five decisions since taking the loss in a 7-0 defeat at Nationals Park on April 19. In one of those games, April 29 at Milwaukee, he was removed after 7 2/3 innings despite not yielding a hit when his pitch count climbed to 116.

Miami's 16 saves are second-most in the majors and right-handed closer A.J. Ramos is 12-for-12 in save opportunities, with a 1.59 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. He's been getting some recent support from righty Kyle Barraclough (.277 ERA) and former Nat Edwin Jackson (2.45 ERA). Just keep Barraclough clear of Bryce Harper, who's hit the only two major league homers he's surrendered in 41 career games.