Marlins vs Nationals Picks and Odds – Aug 21

By Robert Duff in MLB Baseball
Updated: March 9, 2021 at 2:27 pm ESTPublished:

- The Washington Nationals are -225 favorites to win at home Friday against NL East rivals the Miami Marlins
- Nats starting pitcher Patrick Corbin was 3-0 with a 1.55 ERA in four starts last season against Miami
- Miami’s Thursday game with the New York Mets was postponed after two Mets tested positive for COVID-19
Plenty of people head to the sunny south of Florida seeking the opportunity to hook themselves some marlins. Few are as consistently successful at is as Washington Nationals pitcher Patrick Corbin.
Corbin was 3-0 with a 1.55 last season against the Miami Marlins. The lefty will take the mound against Miami on Friday.
Not surprisingly, Washington is opening as -225 favorites in the Marlins vs Nationals odds.
Marlins vs Nationals Odds – Aug. 21
Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total at DraftKings |
---|---|---|---|
Miami Marlins | +190 | +1.5 (-114) | O 9.0 (+100) |
Washington Nationals | -225 | -1.5 (-105) | U 9.0 (-121) |
Odds as of Aug. 20.
You’ll get +190 odds should you choose to back starter Elieser Hernandez and the Marlins. Miami is a solid 7-3 against the spread as a road underdog this season.
Marlins Are Catching
Once again, the Marlins found themselves being put off the diamond due to a COVD-19 outbreak. This time, it wasn’t their fault.
Thursday’s Marlins home game against the New York Mets was postponed when two members of the Mets organization – a coach and a player – tested positive for COVID-19.
Tonight’s Marlins-Mets Game Postponed pic.twitter.com/8nlsncEv4F
— Marlins Communications (@MarlinsComms) August 20, 2020
Hey, now nobody can say that there haven’t been positive developments during the Mets’ season.
Earlier this season, the Marlins saw their season disrupted due to positive tests inside their own clubhouse. A COVID-19 outbreak among Miami’s team led to the postponement of seven consecutive games and the turnover of more than half of the Marlins roster.
Broken Promise
The fast start that saw Miami break from the starting gate 7-1 has long since become a faded memory. The Marlins are 2-8 over their last 10 games.
The defending World Series champion Nationals are treading water. Washington is 5-5 over the last 10 games.
Our unwritten rules dictate that the Marlins have to win every single game or we'll be sad. pic.twitter.com/4ALI0h3jma
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) August 19, 2020
A visit from Miami could be just the elixir to repair that inconsistency. Washington has won 11 of its last 12 games against Miami.
The Marlins are riding a one-game winning streak against the Nationals, though. However, the Marlins have lost six straight and 11 of 12 games at Nationals Park.
Corbin Burns Them
Corbin’s dominance against the Marlins last season included 29 strikeouts against five walks. He held Miami hitters to a .165 batting average.
Since 2017, no pitcher has produced more strikeouts or swings and misses on a Slider than Patrick Corbin (@PatrickCorbin46) with 489 Ks and 1014 Whiffs.
Corbin uses a fairly gyroscopic slider to differentiate this pitch's movement and velocity from his other pitches. #NATITUDE pic.twitter.com/VGLefigyFl
— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) August 13, 2020
The southpaw worked at least six innings in all four of his 2019 starts against the Marlins. That included a four-hit, complete game shutout in a 5-0 victory at Nationals Park on May 25.
Marlins Career Stats vs Corbin
Player | AB | HR | RBI | AVG |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jesus Aguilar | 5 | 0 | 0 | .200 |
Eddy Alvarez | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Brian Anderson | 10 | 0 | 1 | .100 |
Jon Berti | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Lewis Brinson | 2 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Francisco Cervelli | 6 | 0 | 0 | .167 |
Corey Dickerson | 3 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Logan Forsythe | 7 | 0 | 0 | .571 |
Monte Harrison | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Matt Joyce | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Ryan Lavarnway | 2 | 0 | 0 | .500 |
Miguel Rojas | 17 | 0 | 0 | .353 |
Magneuris Sierra | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Jonathan Villar | 15 | 0 | 1 | .467 |
In his career, Corbin is 4-1 with a 3.27 ERA in 10 appearances, all of them starts.
He’s struck out 16 at home this season in 12 innings of work. Corbin is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA at Nationals Park in 2020.
A Nationals Disgrace
Like most of his Miami teammates, Hernandez hasn’t enjoyed the experience of facing the Nationals. He’s 0-2 with an 8.02 ERA in eight appearances against Washington. That total includes three turns as a starting pitcher.
While opposing Washington, Hernandez has coughed up 27 hits in 21.1 innings. He’s allowed 19 earned runs.
Nationals Career Stats vs Hernandez
Player | AB | HR | RBI | AVG |
---|---|---|---|---|
Asdrubal Cabrera | 6 | 0 | 2 | .167 |
Starlin Castro | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Wilmer Difo | 4 | 0 | 0 | .500 |
Adam Eaton | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Yan Gomes | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Josh Harrison | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Howie Kendrick | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Carter Kieboom | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Victor Robles | 5 | 0 | 0 | .200 |
Juan Soto | 11 | 0 | 3 | .364 |
Kurt Suzuki | 7 | 1 | 1 | .286 |
Michael A Taylor | 4 | 0 | 0 | .250 |
Eric Thames | 3 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Trea Turner | 12 | 0 | 1 | .167 |
Hernandez has served up five home runs, walked eight batters and been victimized for 19 earned runs. He’s uncorked a pair of wild pitches, hit two batters and even committed a balk. His WHIP is 1.641.
Yeah, it’s a pitching line filled with all kinds of ugly.
https://twitter.com/AugustineMLB/status/1295116154411909122?s=20
This season, Hernandez is still in search of his first decision through three starts. Based on his numbers, he certainly deserves a better fate than 0-0.
His ERA is 1.84. He’s fanned an impressive 19 batters in 14.1 innings while turning in a WHIP of 0.750.
Hernandez has surrendered just nine hits, one a home run and walked a minimal two batters.
Pick: Washington Nationals (-225)

Sports Writer
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.