If there is a silver lining in this it’s that the Marlins get to play the Nationals over the next 3 games who are nearing their 100th loss of the season.  On September 9th, Florida (81-75) was 10 games out of the wild card.  The Marlins then won 9 straight to pull within 4.5 games of the Phillies. The Marlins went to Philadelphia and lost 2 of 3…not good.  Philadelphia’s wins vaulted them ahead of New York in the NL East and brought the Brewers and the Astros further into the chase.

The Marlins start a 3-game series against the league-worst Nationals (58-98) tonight before heading to take on the Mets for their final 3 regular-season games at Shea Stadium.  As bad as Washington has been this season, they have been their worst against the Marlins.  They are 2-13 against the Marlins this year and have been outscored 47-21 at Nationals Park. 

Scott Olsen (8-10, 4.20 ERA) will get the start for Florida tonight.  Olsen has won his last 2 starts after going 0-6 with a 5.74 ERA in his last 9 outings.  Olsen is 3-0 with a 3.04 ERA in 4 starts against Washington this season.

Rookie Shairon Martis (0-3, 6.23) will get the start tonight for the Nationals. Martis gave up 6 runs in 3 innings Wednesday losing to the Mets 9-7. 

So who covers the spread in tonight’s game?  It’s real easy to get the answer.  At www.fivestarpick.com you can monitor our daily plays from our homepage and see for yourself if our talent for picking MLB winners exceeds your expectations.  MLB picks are not easy, but FiveStarPick.com’s proprietary sports handicapping software program coupled with two of the top sports handicappers in the business have proven a winning combination at nearly 65% against the spread.  You owe it to yourself to become a member of our family.  Join today and start winning tonight.

Jimmy the Geek – FiveStarPick.com

FiveStarPick.com is looking hard at tonight’s matchup between the Houston Astros and the Florida Marlins.  Hurricane Ike forced the relocation of their last two games from Chicago to Milwaukee, both of which were lacluster to say the least.  Houston got no-hit by Carlos Zambrano in the opener and lost 5-0, then lost 6-1 on Monday.

The Astros hope to right the ship as hurler Roy Oswalt tries to extend his scoreless innings streak tonight at Dolphin Stadium.  The Astros (80-69) have won 34 of their last 46 games, including 14 of 15 as of last weekend.

Roy Oswalt (15-9, 3.54 ERA) will take the mound tonight for the Stros. The right-hander, who has lasted at least 8 innings in 5 of his last 6 starts, hasn’t allowed a run in 32.33 innings.  Oswalt is 5-3 with a 2.85 ERA in 10 career starts against the Marlins.

The Marlins (77-72) have been on a roller coaster ride most of the second half of the season, but they are still only 5.5 games back in the wild-card race.  Chris Volstad (4-3, 3.31 ERA) will get the start for the Marlins.  In his last outing, the rookie allowed 1 run in 3 innings for a 10-8 win over Philadelphia.  He was hit in the shoulder with a ground ball up the middle and left the game. He has never faced Houston.

So who covers the spread in tonight’s game?  It’s real easy to get the answer.  At www.fivestarpick.com you can monitor our daily plays from our homepage and see for yourself if our talent for picking MLB winners exceeds your expectations.  MLB picks are not easy, but FiveStarPick.com’s proprietary sports handicapping software program coupled with two of the top sports handicappers in the business have proven a winning combination at nearly 65% against the spread.  You owe it to yourself to become a member of our family.  Join today and start winning tonight.

Jimmy the Geek – FiveStarPick.com