(Sports Network) - The long and slow recovery for Jason Marquis continues today when the Washington Nationals host the visiting Florida Marlins in the middle contest of a three-game weekend series at Nationals Park.
The veteran right-hander, who turned 32 in late August, struggled through injury and ineffectiveness while racking up an ugly 0-7 record through his initial seven starts into last month.
He had a 20.52 earned run average after an 11-7 loss to Milwaukee early on in the year and was still at 8.79 after dropping a hard-luck 4-0 decision to the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 25.
The comeback has begin in his last two starts, however, as Marquis picked up his initial two victories of 2010 while allowing 13 hits and four runs in 11 2/3 combined innings at Florida and Pittsburgh.
The 9-3 win over the Marlins came on Aug. 30, when he scattered seven hits in 5 2/3 innings to level his career mark against Florida at 5-5 in 19 games.
The Marlins took Friday's series opener when Alex Sanabia went 6 2/3 scoreless frames in a 3-1 win.
Sanabia (4-2) gave up just three hits and three walks with three strikeouts for the Marlins, who snapped a three-game slide. Brad Davis hit a solo home run while Dan Uggla and Wes Helms each drove in a run.
John Lannan (7-7) was tagged for three runs on seven hits with three walks and six strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings for the Nationals, who have dropped three in a row. Roger Bernadina drove in the lone run.
Florida sends 26-year-old Venezuelan Anibal Sanchez to the mound with a chance to add to his career-high win total.
The right-hander picked up win No. 11 of 2010 on Aug. 26 in New York, where he allowed nine hits and four runs in five innings of an 11-4 rout. That win pushed him one past his previous career-high of 10, which he'd recorded as a rookie with the Marlins in 2006.
Sanchez allowed three hits in seven scoreless innings against the Nationals a start later on Aug. 31, but got just a no-decision in a 1-0 Florida win.
He is 4-0 in 12 lifetime starts against Washington with a 2.40 earned run average in 71 1/3 innings.
He is 7-6 in 14 starts away from home this season.
Florida has won 11 of its 16 meetings with the Nationals this season.