Marlins open final series at Sun Life Stadium vs. Nats

Rookie southpaw Tommy Milone can continue Washington's game series with Florida at Sun Life Stadium, the Marlins' last before moving into a new ballpark for 2012.

The Nationals enter the series at 78-80 overall with three games to play.

They climbed within two games of the break-even point on Sunday in Washington, when Michael Morse and Wilson Ramos each hit a two-out home run as the Nationals blanked the slumping Atlanta Braves, 3-0, in the rubber match of a three-game series.

Ross Detwiler (4-5) scattered four hits and walked two over six innings for Washington, which finished the season with a 44-36 record at home. Henry Rodriguez, Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen each tossed a perfect inning to preserve the shutout.

Milone, a 24-year-old, made his big-league debut on Sept. 3 and is unbeaten in four starts in September.

The 24-year-old got no-decisions against the New York Mets and Houston in his initial two outings, then beat the Mets on Sept. 15 in New York for win No. 1 after allowing a run on three hits in 5 2/3 innings.

He followed up with six innings of shutout ball en route to a no-decision in the Nationals' 4-3 win at Philadelphia on Sept. 20.

Milone has given up 21 hits and eight runs in 21 2/3 innings across four starts in which the Nationals are 4-0.

The Marlins, who'll move to a new baseball-only stadium next season, begin the farewell series with right-hander Anibal Sanchez, who's never lost to the Nationals.

The 27-year-old Venezuelan is 7-0 in 16 career starts against Washington, posting a stingy 1.99 earned run average in 99 2/3 innings while walking 41 batters and striking out 82.

He last faced the Nationals in consecutive starts on May 8 and 14 and got a win and a no-decision while allowing five hits in 15 shutout innings with two walks and 20 strikeouts.

Sanchez is 1-2 in four September starts, including a 4-0 loss to Atlanta in his most recent outing in Sept. 20.

On Sunday in Milwaukee, George Kottaras led a balanced attack with two runs batted in, as the NL Central champion Brewers beat the Marlins, 9-5, to sweep the season series.

Emilio Bonifacio and Donnie Murphy homered for Florida, which went 41-43 on the road this year.

Ricky Nolasco (10-12) got blasted to the tune of seven runs -- six earned -- on nine hits over two-plus innings.

The Marlins have won 10 of 15 over the Nationals this year, with the two clubs splitting six meetings so far in Florida.