MLB

• Hill makes season debut in South Beach

  
  

  (Sports Network) - Shawn Hill is expected to make his season debut for the Washington Nationals tonight, as they continue a three-game series with the Florida Marlins at Dolphin Stadium.

  Hill was activated from the disabled list on Friday and was 4-5 in 16 starts last year with the club despite a solid 3.42 earned run average, fanning 65 while walking just 25. The right-hander has yet to pitch this season due to tightness in his right forearm.

  Hill did make a start for Triple-A Columbus on Sunday and gave up six runs (5 earned) on nine hits over six innings of work.

  The 26-year-old is 2-1 with a 2.54 ERA in five career starts against Florida. He has fanned 25 Marlins hitters while yielding just five walks to them. All five of those outings came last year, as he went 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in two starts at Dolphin Stadium.

  Burke Badenhop will start tonight for Florida against the team that he made his major league debut against. The right-hander threw a perfect inning of relief against Washington on April 9 in his first big league action, and then made his first career start on Sunday versus Houston.

  The 25-year-old, one of six players acquired from Detroit this offseason for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Wills, got the loss after giving up four runs on seven hits in five innings against the Astros, though.

  Washington won the opener of this set on Friday. Nick Johnson's bases-clearing double in the seventh inning proved to be the difference as the Nationals downed the Marlins, 6-4.

  Johnson finished the game 2-for-3 with four runs driven in while Felipe Lopez went 3-for-5 with a pair of runs scored for the Nationals, who had lost three straight and 12 of 13 coming into the game. Tim Redding (3-1) got the win as he gave up four runs on three hits with a walk and a career-high 10 strikeouts in six innings of work.

  The victory halted Washington's seven-game road losing streak in addition to its five-game skid to the Marlins. The Nationals won 10 of 18 against Florida last year, but was swept by the club at home on April 7-10.

  The Nationals will again be without catcher Paul Lo Duca tonight. He was placed on the DL Friday because of a right hand injury to make room for Hill on the roster. The move was retroactive to April 14.

  Josh Willingham hit a two-run homer while Jeremy Hermida had two RBI and scored a run for the Marlins, who have dropped their last two games. Justin Miller (1-1) got the loss for giving up three runs in 1 2/3 innings of work. Andrew Miller started on the mound and gave up three runs on six hits in five- plus innings of work.

  Mike Jacobs had a seven-game hitting streak stopped after going 0-for-4. However, Hanley Ramirez went 1-for-2 with a pair of runs scored and has reached base safely in a franchise-record 41 straight games at home. The last time he did not reach base at Dolphin Stadium was on July 18, 2007.

  Jacobs is 3-for-11 (.273) with two runs batted in against Hill, while Ramirez is 3-for-12 (.250) with three strikeouts.

  04/19 10:46:43 ET