Miami seeks power boost in ace-heavy NL East

WASHINGTON -- Pitching has kept the Marlins close in so many games over the course of the long season. Still, the club hasn't had much to show for it simply because they haven't manufactured enough runs.

The frustration is reflected by their 20-33 record in one-run games.

The timely hit has been elusive all season. But the most glaring weakness is a lack of power.

"We have a tough time slugging with teams, especially at our ballpark," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. "Nobody really slugs at our ballpark. Having that power is nice. We got to Philly, and they put up a couple of homers and six runs quickly. We have to rely more on getting four or five singles to score runs. That's really becoming the difference."

The Marlins rank last in the Majors in pretty much all the significant offensive categories, such as batting average, runs scored, home runs and slugging percentage.

The National League East is loaded with standout starters. Washington's Jordan Zimmermann threw a two-hit shutout on Friday night, earning him his 19th win. On Saturday, the Marlins were scheduled to face the Nationals' Stephen Strasburg. Gio Gonzalez was the winning pitcher over the Marlins on Thursday.

"There is a lot of good pitching in our division," Redmond said. "Runs are going to be at a premium. We've got to figure out ways to score more runs. It's pretty simple, really. We've got to score more runs."