Florida Marlins third baseman Miguel Cabrera is ready tonight when Washington's leadoff hitter Nook Logan bunts on the first pitch. Cabrera speeds in and fires to beat Logan to the bag. The Marlins lefty starter Chris Seddon retires the Nationals in order in the first inning of his first Major League start.
Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez leads off the bottom of the first with a home run on a 3-1 fastball over the middle of the plate from Nationals starter Mike Bacsik. Ramirez's shot reaches the first rows of the upper deck. 1-0 Marlins. Bacsik gets two out while he loads the bases on a walk, single and hit batter. Cody Ross pops out to short to end a long first.
Seddon's working with three pitches, a fastball, change and curve. Austin Kearns smokes the fastball into left center for a double with one out in the second. Wily Mo Pena goes to the opposite field with a single to score Kearns, though the play at the plate on the throw in from Jeremy Hermida is close. 1-1 ballgame. Pena steals third off the rookie pitcher. Ronnie Belliard lines out to foul territory in right, but Hermida catches it even though he probably should have let it drop. Pena tags and scores. 2-1 Nationals.
Bacsik lets the Marlins tie it right back up, giving up a single to Marlins catcher Paul Hoover, which allows Seddon to lay down a sac bunt to move the runner into scoring position. Hanley Ramirez single to center to move Hoover to third, and a ground out from Uggla scores Hoover to tie it at 2-2.
Chris Seddon gives up a two-out single to Ryan Zimmerman that moves Felipe Lopez to second and gives Dmitri Young the RBI opportunity, but Seddon drops a two-strike curve on DY to get him swinging for the final out of the frame. Bacsik gives up a single to Josh Willingham in front of Mike Jacobs who hits a line drive two-run home run to right faster than Bacsik can turn to look. 4-2 Marlins. Cody Ross hits one so deep in right it reaches seats they don't sell tickets for...Marlins lead 5-2 in the third. Bacsik won't make it out of the third...Winston Abreu relieves Bacsik and gets Dan Uggla swinging to end the inning.
Austin Kearns lines to center to start the fourth and takes second when the ball bounces out of center fielder Cody Ross' glove. Wily Mo Pena singles up the middle to score Kearns. 5-3 Marlins. Belliard hits a ground rule double to right. Seddon walks Brian Schneider on four straight to load the bases. J-Max pinch hits. Justin Maxwell's down 0-2 quickly, but Maxwell explodes on a meatball and drives it to right...over the scoreboard and GONE!! GRAND SLAM!!! Justin Maxwell has a grand slam for his first Major League hit. J-Max gives the Nationals the lead. 7-5 Washington. Seddon out.
Micah Bowie is the third pitcher of the night for the Nationals, coming on in the bottom of the fourth. Bowie walks Miguel Cabrera and gives up a single to Josh Willingham. Bowie throws up and in on Jacobs on an 0-2 count and Jacobs stares at Bowie, prompting Brian Schneider to get up in Jacobs' face and back him down. Jacobs singles through first and scores Cabrera. 7-6 Nationals. Bowie walks the bases loaded and then walks to the dugout as Saul Rivera comes on in relief...Paul Hoover's down swinging, pinch hitter Todd Linden grounds back to the mound. 7-6 Nationals after four.
Marlins reliever Logan Kensing pitches a scoreless top of the fifth. Hanley Ramirez doubles through Ryan Zimmerman at third to start the bottom of the fifth. Dan Uggla's hotshot eats up Felipe Lopez, and a passed ball with Jeremy Hermida up allows Ramirez to score and tie it at 7-7. Josh Willingham lines a two-out single to score Uggla. 8-7 Fish after five.
Logan Kensing gives up a leadoff single to Brian Schneider before he strikes out Ryan Langerhans and gets a double play grounder from Nook Logan for his second scoreless frame. Nationals right-hander Chris Schroder retires the Marlins in order in the bottom of the sixth. Matt Lindstrom gives up a one-out single to Ryan Zimmerman in the seventh. DY doubles to the deep corner in center allowing Zimmerman to score easily and tie the game at 8-8 after six and a half. Stand up and stretch...
Chris Schroder gives up back to back singles to Dan Uggla and Jeremy Hermida before Manny Acta, Nationals Manager, tells Big John Albaladejo to get up and brings him in with men on first and third and no outs. Miguel Cabrera hits a bloop single to right center to score Uggla and take back the lead. 9-8 Marlins. Ryan Zimmerman makes a diving stab and runs to the bag to cut down the lead runner on a Willingham bullet. Mike Jacobs knocks in two runs with a line drive to left. Jacobs ends up at third on a throwing error. 11-8 Marlins.
Someone else is pitching for the Marlins now. My eyes are blurry from all the scoring. The Nationals fail to score in the eigth. Nationals reliever Luis Ayala serves up a slider to Hanley Ramirez who smokes it and poses admiring his second HR blast to left. 12-8 Marlins. Miguel Cabrera drives in a run with an infield single. 13-8 Marlins after eight.
Kevin Gregg gets Felipe Lopez looking. Ryan Zimmerman singles up the middle. DY strikes out on a check swing. Austin Kearns walks. Wily Mo Pena grounds into a force at second on a dive and toss from Hanley "Mr Tuesday Night" Ramirez. Final score 13-8 Marlins.
Nationals now 65-80.