(Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images)

Washington left-hander MacKenzie Gore, who entered this weekend tied for second in the majors with 25 strikeouts, gets the start Sunday afternoon as the Nationals and the host Miami Marlins play the rubber match of a three-game series.

The third overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft by San Diego, Gore (1-1, 2.65 ERA) was the headline player among several the Padres traded to Washington for Juan Soto in August 2022.

Gore, 26, has improved in each year in the majors. Last season, he set personal bests in wins (10), ERA (3.90) and innings (166 1/3).

In three starts this season, he is 1-1 with a 2.65 ERA and an NL-leading 13.2 strikeouts per nine innings going into Saturday's games.

Just as impressive has been his performance against elite teams.

On Opening Day, he faced the Phillies and held them to one hit, no walks and one run in six innings, striking out 13. It was the most strikeouts on Opening Day for a Nationals pitcher -- one more than Max Scherzer in 2019.

On April 7, Gore beat the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, holding them to five hits, one walk and two runs in six innings. He struck out seven.

'There were small adjustments with pitch mix and usage,' Gore told MLB.com when asked about his results this year. 'But I didn't have to come up with a new pitch. I tried to break things down and figure out what I do well when I'm successful, and try to repeat that.'

In four career starts against the Marlins, Gore is 2-1 with a 2.22 ERA.

However, he. is 0-1 with a 3.97 ERA in two starts in Miami.

'He's got a great arm,' Marlins outfielder Kyle Stowers said of Gore. 'We're going to have to compete, find a way to get a lead early. If not, battle from there.'

The Marlins will counter with right-hander Cal Quantrill (1-1, 6.00).

Quantrill is 0-1 with a 4.24 ERA in three career starts against Washington. He will be pitching with seven days of rest.

Marlins first-year manager Clayton McCullough said he has enjoyed watching his players battle. They are 4-2 in six games decided by one run.

'Losses sting, but the beauty of our sport is that you get to turn the page quickly,' McCullough said. 'Our guys are tough. They bounce back.'

Sunday's game will decide the series after Washington won the opener 7-4 on Friday, and Miami prevailed 7-6 on Saturday.

Washington will be going for its third straight series win. Miami hasn't a won a series since taking three of four against Pittsburgh to open the season.

The Nationals will again be without shortstop CJ Abrams, who was an All-Star last year and another of the players received in the trade for Soto.

Abrams went on the injured list Saturday due to a hip injury, but Nationals manager Dave Martinez is taking an optimistic viewpoint.

'I'm glad we were able to catch it early,' Martinez said. 'The rest will definitely help him.

'He's going to get tons of treatment. It doesn't seem to bother him when he's hitting, which is great. But it does seem to bother him when he is fielding or moves left or right.'

--Field Level Media