The Washington Nationals fell to an agonizing 4-3 defeat in their game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday. But it was not all doom and gloom for the Nationals and their fans as the team’s “top paw-spect” made his long-awaited MLB debut.

Miami Marlins (27-41, fifth in the NL East) vs. Washington Nationals (30-40, fourth in the NL East) Washington; Sunday, 1:35 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Marlins: Eury Perez (0-1, 12.00 ERA, 2.00 WHIP,

The Miami Marlins will go for their first series sweep of the season when they visit the Washington Nationals on Sunday afternoon.

The Miami Marlins and Washington Nationals will have a quick turnaround for the middle game of their series on Saturday.

Rookie Agustín Ramírez hit two home runs and Eric Wagaman had three RBIs to help the Miami Marlins hand the Washington Nationals their sixth straight loss, 11-9 in a game that included a rain delay of more than two hours.

Bruce the Dat Dog was promoted from Triple-A to take the field for Saturday's showdown between the Nationals and Marlins, even getting an official patch.

The Washington Nationals were hoping that a return home against the Miami Marlins would allow them to get their season back on track after losing five in a row, including getting swept by the New York Mets on the road,

The dog days of summer arrived Saturday at Nationals Park. Bruce, a 21-month-old golden retriever, fetched a bat during a ceremony before the Washington Nationals-Miami Marlins game.