I'm playing on WASHINGTON (3* PERS FAV). Yesterday and recent results notwithstanding, these teams are at the opposite end of the food chain. The Nats have arguably under-achieved on the season while the Marlins have arguably over-achieved. Still, even after their recent skid, the Nats are comfortably ahead of the Marlins in the NL East and only the Nats are truly chasing the Braves and Phillies; the Marlins know they're already playing out the string. The Nats know that they need to make up some ground and a series vs. the Marlins is a great place to start. Lopez, a native of Venezuela, has only made one major league start. That was a home game against the Mets on "Venezuelan Heritage Day." His parents and other family members were in attendance. To his credit, the rookie rose the occasion and pitched well. However, now he's on the road against an angry Washington team. Big difference. Note that the Marlin bullpen has a terrible 5.72 ERA on the road, too. Hellickson has an outstanding 2.63 ERA over 10 starts (1.65 at home!) and he's got one under his belt, since coming off the DL. He's also pitched very well (2.88 ERA) vs. the Marlins over his career. Nats stop the bleeding.