WASHINGTON -- There will be plenty of raw emotion at Nationals Park on Friday when the Miami Marlins begin a three-game series against the Washington Nationals.The series opener comes a day after a memorial service in Florida for Jose Fernandez, the ace of the Marlins who died in a boating accident Sunday.Among those on hand for the Thursday service was Washington pitcher Gio Gonzalez, who grew up in the Miami area and like Fernandez has Cuban heritage.Gonzalez started at home Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks and was tagged with the loss.The starting pitchers Friday will be Nationals right-hander A.J. Cole (1-2, 5.09 ERA) against Marlins right-hander Andrew Cashner (5-11, 5.13).Cole has never faced Arizona. Cashner, who last opposed the Nationals in 2015, is 2-4 with a 4.03 ERA in 11 games (six starts) against them.Washington (93-66) enters play Friday with a two-game edge over the Los Angeles Dodgers (91-68) in the race for the home-field advantage in the National League Division Series. The NL East and NL West champions will face off beginning Oct. 7. The Dodgers own the tiebreaker after going 5-1 against Washington this year.The Nationals beat the Diamondbacks 5-3 Thursday in a light rain. If the game had been rained out, Arizona may have had to return to play Monday if the game had a bearing on the home-field edge.We just feel fortunate we got the game in, Washington manager Dusty Baker said. Im glad we got the game in. It was a blessing we got the game in.Cole was ejected Sunday in Pittsburgh when he threw a pitch behind Pirates third baseman Jung Ho Kang. That led to Major League Baseball suspending Cole for five games, but he appealed the penalty.Cole will be making his eight major league start of the year. He made his big league debut in April 2015 but spent most of the 2016 season at Triple-A Syracuse, where he went 8-8 with a 4.62 ERA in 22 starts.Washingtons Bryce Harper is 4-for-6 in his career against Cashner. Harper has been out since Sunday with a sore thumb but could see action this weekend. Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth is 6-for-10 against Cashner.Washington MVP candidate Daniel Murphy (buttocks strain) is not slated to start during the series, though he could see action off the bench. Baker said he hopes to get Murphy healthy for the postseason.Miami (78-80) was eliminated from playoff contention with home loss to the New York Mets on Wednesday. The Marlins were off Thursday as they attended the Fernandez service.It was tough to have a lot of emotion out there, Marlins manager Don Mattingly said after the Wednesday defeat. I know our guys were trying. We owe that to the Cardinals and Giants (who are chasing the Mets in the NL wild-card race). Our guys did the best they possibly could, but it was a tough game to play.Marlins standout Martin Prado echoed those thoughts.Its going to take a long time for our Fish family to recover from this, he said of losing Fernandez. Its a devastating loss for everybody. I feel sorry for his mother and family because Jose was one of the biggest reasons why they came to America.Steve Young Youth Jersey . Pirlo limped out of Sundays 1-0 win over Udinese after just 13 minutes. Juventus says Pirlo underwent tests on Monday which revealed he has "a second-degree lesion to the collateral medial ligament in his right knee. Jerry Rice Jersey . 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Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore.CHICAGO -- The Los Angeles Lakers needed a basket, and Julius Randle wanted the ball.Coach Luke Walton loved the whole thing.If its a one-on-one situation with space, we feel very confident that hell win that matchup, Walton said.Got it done in a big moment Wednesday night.Randle made a strong move against Nikola Mirotic for a tiebreaking layup with 45.1 seconds left, and the Lakers held off the Chicago Bulls for a gritty 96-90 victory.Randle had 13 points and matched a career high with 20 rebounds as Los Angeles bounced back from a 105-88 loss at New Orleans on Tuesday night. Lou Williams and Jordan Clarkson scored 18 points apiece, and Larry Nance Jr. finished with 12 points and 11 boards.Our guys just played hard, stayed mentally locked in, Randle said.Randles drive and layup gave Los Angeles a 92-90 lead. After Jimmy Butler missed on the other side for Chicago, Williams went 1 for 2 at the line with 20 seconds to go.Butler then missed another 3 and Randle and Nance combined for three foul shots to help Los Angeles hold on.Our guys have proven that when their backs are against the wall they can step up for a challenge, Walton said. They did it tonight. Thats a great win against a very talented team.Butler had 22 points on 4-of-18 shooting for the Bulls, who were hoping to build on a 4-2 road trip. Dwyane Wade, who was listed as doubtful after getting some dental work on Tuesday, scored 17 points, and Robin Lopez finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and a career-high eight blocked shots.It was an ugly game, Wade said. We have to find a way to win those games. No excuses.The Bulls used 40 points from Butler to beat the Lakers 118-110 in Los Angeles on Nov. 20. But the Lakers held the Bulls to 35.2 percent shooting in the rematch and enjoyed a 60-46 rebounding advantage.I think the missed shots definitely affected us, coach Fred Hoiberg said. You cant let that happen. That andd rebounding has to be your constant.ddddddddddddBANGED-UP LAKERSIt was an impressive response from Los Angeles after the team announced before the game that Nick Young strained his right calf muscle in Tuesday nights loss to the Pelicans, sidelining the guard for two to four weeks.The Lakers also were without guard DAngelo Russell, who missed his sixth straight game due to left knee soreness.GOOD START, BAD FINISHThe Bulls led by as many as 14 in the first quarter before settling for a 28-17 advantage after one. But the Lakers rallied in the second and it was tied at 47 at the break.We stopped rebounding. We stopped getting to loose balls. A lot of stuff, Butler said. It changed in their favor and they caught us slipping.TIP-INSLakers: Randle leads the team with five double-doubles this season. He has 39 double-doubles in 99 career games. ... It was Los Angeles first win at the United Center since a 96-87 victory on Dec. 15, 2009. It had dropped five in a row in Chicago. ... The Lakers committed 24 turnovers, leading to 26 points for the Bulls.Bulls: F Doug McDermott (concussion protocol) missed his seventh consecutive game. ... Butler has scored 20 or more points in his last 11 games, setting a career high. His previous best was six in a row. ... Chicago dropped to 8-1 this season when its opponent scores fewer than 100 points. ... The Bulls matched a season high with 15 steals.UP NEXTLakers: Play another back-to-back when they visit Toronto on Friday night and Memphis on Saturday night.Bulls: Host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night, and LeBron James pays up after he lost his bet with buddy Wade over the World Series. James is expected to wear a Chicago Cubs uniform before the game.---Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap ' ' '