LDN - Sports

Marlins escape with victory over Nationals

[October 01, 2016] WASHINGTON -- - The Miami Marlins have been through a lot this week, with the death of ace pitcher Jose Fernandez in a boat accident Sunday and the emotions of a private memorial service Thursday in Florida.

The Marlins left the Sunshine State for the first time since his death when they began a series Friday night in Washington. And after a rain delay of nearly two hours, Miami found a little solace with a 7-4 victory over the National League East champion Nationals.

"They have had a lot to go through. They have handled everything great. Just being away from Miami helps," manager Don Mattingly said of his club. "It is good to get away."

Washington native and Marlins first baseman Justin Bour had three hits and drove in two runs against his hometown team.

"It took him awhile since he came back (from the DL) to get in the groove. He swung the bat well," Mattingly said of Bour.

The Marlins also got two hits, including a homer, and two RBIs from Christian Yelich. He has 97 RBIs and is hitting .294 with 21 homers.

So is Yelich overlooked around the country?

"The teams you play, they know," Mattingly said. "If he was one of those guys that was on the (free agent) market right now it would be crazy. I am glad he is with us."

The Marlins' bullpen retired the first 12 batters they faced and finished with 10 strikeouts in five innings. David Phelps fanned all three batters in the eighth and closer A.J. Ramos got his 40th save.

"They have been our strength all year," Mattingly said of the bullpen.

The Nationals (93-67) began the day with a magic number of two to clinch home-field advantage for the National League Division Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers that starts Oct. 7. Miami (79-80) needs to win the last two games to finish with a winning record.

Marcell Ozuna added two hits for the Marlins, including an RBI single in the ninth to make it 7-4.

Yelich hit a solo homer off left-handed reliever Sean Burnett, who had just entered the game, to give Miami an edge of 6-4 in the seventh.

The Marlins grabbed a 5-4 lead in the sixth when Dee Gordon beat out an infield RBI single. His hit scored Bour, who had doubled.

The winning pitcher was Mike Dunn (6-1), who pitched a perfect fifth, while Sammy Solis (2-4) was the loser as he gave up one run in 1 1/3 innings.

Bryce Harper, in his first game since Sunday, struck out in all four at-bats and his average fell to .242 a year after he won the National League MVP award.

Trea Turner and Clint Robinson had two hits for the Nationals, who are stumbling toward the finish with a 5-8 record since Sept. 17.

Bour and Adeiny Hechavarria had RBI singles in the second to give the Marlins a 2-0 lead against Washington starter A.J. Cole.

Miami made it 4-0 in the third as Yelich drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Bour drove in another run with a single. Both runs were unearned as Derek Dietrich began the inning by reaching second when second baseman Stephen Drew dropped his popup.

The Nationals tied the score at 4 with four runs in the fourth against Marlins starter Andrew Cashner.

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Marlins relief pitcher A.J. Ramos (44) is congratulated by catcher J.T. Realmuto (11) after earning a save against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony Rendon hit a solo homer to put Washington on the board.

Drew followed with a solo homer to center to make it 4-2. Jose Lobaton had an RBI double and Turner tied the score with an RBI single, though Wilmer Difo was thrown out at third on the play as the call stood after a challenge by Washington.

Cole gave up four runs (two earned) and six hits in three innings before he was lifted for pinch-hitter Ben Revere in the third.

Mat Latos pitched a scoreless fourth for the Nationals and recorded the 1,000th strikeout of his career.

Cashner allowed four runs and seven hits in four innings before Dunn came on the fifth as a light rain fell. Cashner was 0-6 in 14 road starts this year and is 0-3 in four career starts in Washington.

But on this night ,the bullpen saved Cashner and the Marlins.

It was a rough night all around for the Nationals as starting left fielder Jayson Werth couldn't finish the game. He left in the seventh "with tightness in his back," said Dusty Baker, the Washington manager.

The Nationals also rested first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who is hitting .219. But Baker said he will not platoon Zimmerman with Robinson in the playoffs.

"I have to take care of Zim," said Baker, referring to the wet field. "He has been good the last couple of weeks. He has been our tough-luck guy" at the plate with hard-hit outs.

NOTES: The start of the game was delayed 1 hour, 43 minutes by rain ... A moment of silence was held before the game for RHP Jose Fernandez, the Marlins ace who died in a boating accident Sunday. ... Washington RF Bryce Harper was in the lineup for the first time since he left Sunday's game in Pittsburgh with a thumb injury. He was injured when he slid into third after a fake tag by Pirates 3B Jung Ho Kang. Washington RHP A.J. Cole was later ejected from that game after he threw a pitch behind Kang. Cole was the starter Friday after he appealed a five-game suspension from MLB. ... Nationals RHP Tanner Roark (15-10, 2.86) facex Marlins LHP Wei-Yin Chen (5-4, 5.02) on Saturday. ... Washington LHP Gio Gonzalez attended the memorial service Thursday in Florida for Fernandez. Both pitchers have Cuban heritage and became friends in the past few years. ... Nationals RHP Reynaldo Lopez, who got the win Thursday over Arizona, was named the Nationals minor league pitcher of the year Friday. He is 5-3, with a 4.57 ERA in 10 games (six starts) for the Nationals after going 5-7 with a 3.21 ERA in 19 starts in the minors.

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