Marlins 5-4 over Nationals: Doug Fister solid in start no.3 in Nats' loss

Doug Fister was being hard on himself, but he was not pleased with his work on the mound last time out in a 2 ⅓-inning, 53-pitch outing against the AL West's Houston Astros. Fister gave up four hits, two walks and two runs, one earned in his second start of the Spring.

"It's something internal for me that I know if I throw a good pitch or not,'" the 31-year-old Washington Nationals' right-hander told reporters, including MASN's Chris Johnson:

"'Obviously, I want to get results, I want to get the outs. If I throw a bad pitch and it gets an out, I still know that I need to work on that pitch. I try to be as honest with myself as I can. Looking at today, there was a lot of poor pitches that I threw and kind of got away with.'"

In the first at bat of start no.3 in Grapefruit League action for Fister this afternoon in Jupiter, Florida's Roger Dean Stadium, he got up 0-2 on Marlins' leadoff man Dee Gordon and got a groundout to first with a 1-2 offering. Christian Yelich too sent a roller out toward first base that Ryan Zimmerman fielded before tossing to the covering pitcher. Giancarlo Stanton came up with the bases empty and lined a 2-2 pitch to left for a two-out double, but he was stranded there when former Nats' slugger Michael Morse K'd looking to end the bottom of the first inning.

Fister started behind Marlins' third baseman Martin Prado 2-0 in the first at bat of Miami's second, but induced a ground ball to third that went into and out of Ian Stewart's glove, leaving Prado safe at first base. One out later, Marlins' catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia battled back from an 0-2 count and singled to right, sending Prado around to third, and a single to left by Adeiny Hechavarria brought Prado in for a 1-0 Miami lead after two.

Dee Gordon doubled to start the home-half of the third, took third on a fly to left by Yelich and scored on an RBI line drive single to center by Stanton. 2-0 Marlins after three.

Michael Taylor improved to 7 for 23 this Spring with a single off Marlins' starter Mat Latos in the top of the fourth, then stole second and scored on an RBI ground-rule double by Dan Uggla, 2-1 Fish. Uggla stole third with Zimmerman up and scored on a groundout to tie things up at 2-2.

The Marlins went down in order in the fourth, with all three batters (Prado, Marcell Ozuna and Saltalamacchia) grounding out in Fister's final inning of work.

Kila Ka'aihue is pinch hitting for Fister here in the 5th. Doug's final line: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 K. He threw 57 pitches, 39 strikes.

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) March 18, 2015

Clint Robinson continued to make a case for inclusion on the major league roster with a solo home run off Marlins' reliever Sam Dyson in the top of the fifth.

Robinson's second home run of the Spring left him 10 for 23 so far in Grapefruit League action. 3-2 Nationals.

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Craig Stammen pitched around a one-out triple by Ichiro Suzuki for a scoreless fifth, but the Marlins tied things up in the sixth when Stanton took Casey Janssen deep to right field and out for a solo homer. 3-3 after six.

Heath Bell worked out of a first-and-third, one-out jam for a scoreless inning of work in the seventh.

The Marlins broke up the tie in the bottom of the eighth, however, with Jhonatan Solano singling to driving brother Donovan Solano in with a two-out hit that made it a 4-3 game.

Reed Johnson drove Scott Sizemore in from third in the next at bat and the Marlins went up, 5-3.

Matt Skole homered to center off Marlins' lefty Andrew McKirahan to start the Nationals' ninth, 5-4, but that's as close as they would get. Marlins win, 5-4 final.