Marlins look to get back on track with Zac Gallen on the mound

The Miami Marlins hope to even the series with the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night. Zac Gallen takes the mound, hoping to earn the first win of his career.

In the second start of his Major League career, Marlins pitcher Zac Gallen will get his first chance to win at home against the Washington Nationals at Marlins Park. The 23-year-old was called up last week, making his first start on the road against St. Louis in a no-decision. The minor-league phenom hopes to help the Marlins cause after falling to the Nationals 6-1 on Tuesday night.

Gallen looked sharp, allowing one run over five innings and striking out six last week. This continues to be an audition of sorts for the right-hander. The front office is not ready to recall Caleb Smith from the minors yet as he still works to rehab a hip injury he suffered, forcing him to the 10-Day I.L.

Smith will make at least one more minor league start before he is added back to the 25-man roster.

Miami faces Patrick Corbin, a left-hander who is 6-5 this season with a 3.90 ERA and 102 strikeouts. When Corbin last faced Miami, he threw a complete-game victory and the second shutout of his career. He struck out five batters and threw only 116 pitches in a 5-0 victory.

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The ball club will look to get their bats back on track tonight. As Glenn Geffner explained, Miami is a better team when they get the slightest amount of run support. The loss on Tuesday night was the 28th time the team has scored one run or less. That is the worst in Major League baseball. By contrast, when the team scores two or more runs, they are 30-19 this season or a .612 winning percentage. That equals out to 99 wins over the MLB season.

So the math lesson is simple – the lineup must continue to improve at the plate. The young pitching staff is being wasted at times, which is the major reason for the team’s 30-47 record

In other Marlins news: Braxton Garrett threw a gem on Tuesday night. The team’s first-round pick in 2016 has steadily improved at Class-A Advanced Jupiter. The 21-year-old was unhittable.

"According to MLB.com, Garrett who is still one the comeback trail from Tommy John surgery, threw “seven hitless frames with 11 strikeouts (both career-high marks) in Jupiter’s win over Bradenton. He retired the first 10 batters of the game and ultimately faced two over the minimum before departing the game with 88 pitches (58 strikes). He struck out the side in the second inning and tallied multiple strikeouts in four different frames.”"

Garrett is part of the core or pitchers the Marlins hope will become the foundation of this franchise. So far this season, he has a 2.86 ERA and 82 strikeouts in over 63 innings. He has made 12 starts for the Hammerheads.