Trevor Rogers must be desperate for a win.
The Miami Marlins left-hander — once a top prospect — has not won a game in the majors since April 14 of last year, when he beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-1.
On Monday night, Rogers will look to end that drought when the Marlins face the visiting Washington Nationals.
The Nationals beat the Marlins 12-9 on Sunday, rallying from a 7-0 second-inning deficit.
Washington, which went 2-11 against Miami last year, will go for a four-game sweep of the Marlins on Monday night.
“Up 7-0, we were feeling good,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “This (loss) was a tough one.”
There have been a lot of losses for the Marlins, who have the worst record in the National League at 6-23.
As for Rogers (0-3, 4.10 ERA), he is 3-2 with a 3.22 ERA in eight career starts against Washington.
Rogers has actually been a better pitcher on the road (7-13, 3.73 ERA) than at home (6-13, 4.58 ERA) in his career.
Rogers is just 5-16 with an ERA of at least 4.00 in every season since his career year in 2021, when he went 7-8 with a 2.64 ERA and was named an All-Star.
After being limited to just four starts last year due to injury, Rogers is focused on staying healthy for the long haul.
“I have to be smart with my body,” Rogers said. “I don’t want to make the same mistakes I’ve made in the past.”
The Nationals will counter with right-hander Jake Irvin (1-2, 4.55).
Irvin, who was Washington’s fourth-round pick out of the University of Oklahoma in 2018, is imposing at 6-foot-6 and 234 pounds.
But that size hasn’t led to big results — at least not yet. As a rookie last year, Irvin went 3-7 with a 4.61 ERA in 24 starts.
In three career starts against the Marlins, Irvin has fared reasonably well — 0-0 with a 2.81 ERA.
Irvin has also been better on the road (2-2, 3.98) than at home (2-7, 4.93).
Offensively, the Nationals are relying on the potential of shortstop CJ Abrams, 23, the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft.
Abrams, who arrived in a 2022 trade with the Padres, has six homers and a .979 OPS this season.
Abrams is also an elite runner, stealing 47 bases in 51 attempts last year. This year, however, he has already been caught twice in seven attempts.
As for Washington’s comeback on Sunday, Nick Senzel keyed the rally with two homers and five RBIs.
“I was able to put two good swings on the ball, and it helped us fight back,” Senzel said. “The message in the dugout was to keep chipping away.”
Teammate Jacob Young added: “I don’t think we blinked when we were down 7-0. We did a great job of keeping pressure on (Miami).”
Nationals manager Dave Martinez praised his players.
“They are relentless,” he said. “They stick together. They are hungry to win.
“It’s a fun group.”
–Field Level Media