Against Johnson, Nats face another tough test

Last night, the Nationals squared off against Marlins starter Anibal Sanchez, who still has never lost to the Nats in what's now 19 career starts. Who do the Nats face tonight as they look to avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the Fish? None other than Josh Johnson, who has never lost to the Nationals in 14 career starts. Fantastic. Johnson has gone 7-0 with a 3.14 ERA in his career against Washington, striking out 82 Nats over 83 innings pitched. The righty's 2012 numbers have been less than stellar, however. Johnson is off to a bit of a rough start, going 2-3 with a 4.87 ERA in 10 starts. Johnson's WHIP this year is a whopping 1.55, but he's improved over his last handful of starts, going 2-0 and allowing no more than three earned runs in each of his last four outings. Adam LaRoche might have a tough time breaking out of his recent cold streak tonight; the Nationals first baseman is just 3-for-18 with eight strikeouts in his career against Johnson. Both Rick Ankiel and Roger Bernadina have had decent success in their careers against Johnson, as Ankiel is hitting .308 with four hits and three walks off the Marlins righty while Bernadina is batting .364 against him. Chien-Ming Wang will get his first start of the 2012 season tonight, making him the sixth pitcher to start for the Nats this season. Only six teams in the majors have used just five starters to this point - the Nats, Reds, Angels, Marlins, Mariners and Cardinals. In two career starts against the Marlins, Wang is 2-0 with a 4.61 ERA.