Washington Nationals 8-3 over Miami Marlins: Trea Turner returns to lineup

Edwin Jackson put together another solid start. Trea Turner returned after 51 games on the DL. Oliver Perez and Matt Albers combined to get Washington out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the seventh. Nationals-killer Vance Worley, who’d given up one run on eight hits in 13 innings pitched in his previous two starts against Miami’s NL East rivals, gave up five runs on nine hits in 4 ¹⁄₃ IP tonight in the nation’s capital, and the Nats took their second straight from the Marlins and third straight overall by a final score of 8-3.

Giancarlo Stanton, who was 0 for 3 with two Ks in the series opener on Monday night, connected for his 51st home run of the season in his first at bat tonight, Dee Gordon manufactured a run with a single, stolen base, advance on a wild pitch, and run scored on a sac fly, and another run scored on an error, but that was all Jackson gave up in six-plus innings of work on the mound in Nationals Park, and the Nats earned a series win with one to play against the Fish tomorrow afternoon.

[ed. note - “We have to mention Anthony Rendon’s base-clearing double in the seventh here too, or the #RendonforMVP lobby will harass us.”]

Nationals now 80-51.

HERE’S HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Max Scherzer managed to keep Giancarlo Stanton in the yard (and hitless) last night, but the prolific home run hitter can’t be held down for long and the Marlins’ slugger picked up No. 51 of 2017 in the first inning tonight, crushing a 1-1 knee-high slider out over the middle of the plate from Edwin Jackson, and sending a one-out solo shot over the left field bullpen for a 1-0 lead in the first.

• E-Jax walked three batters around a lineout after the Stanton blast, loading the bases with two down, but a diving catch by Trea Turner at short robbed Tomas Telis of a hit and ended a 27-pitch opening frame by Jackson, 1-0 Fish.

• Wilmer Difo doubled to right on a 3-2 fastball to lead the third off with the Nationals’ first hit off Marlins’ starter Vance Worley, and after getting to two strikes trying to get a bunt down, E-Jax pulled back and lined a single to center that put runners on first and third with no one out.

Two outs later, both runners were still on the basepaths, but Daniel Murphy came up with a big, two-run single to center that put the Nationals up, 2-1.

• Adam Lind took a high 0-2 fastball from Worley to left for an opposite field double to lead off the Nats’ fourth, and Anthony Rendon followed with an RBI single to center, 3-1.

• Dee Gordon singled, stole second, took third on a wild pitch, and scored on a sac fly by Stanton to make a 3-2 game in the top of the fifth inning.

• Trea Turner’s first hit off the DL was a leadoff double to left via third base with one down in the Nationals’ half of the fifth, and he scored on an error on a grounder to third base by Alejandro De Aza, when Marlins’ third baseman Derek Dietrich’s throw to first base skipped by the bag, 4-2. Daniel Murphy got the intentionals in the next at bat, and Ryan Zimmerman came through with an RBI single to center, 5-2.

• Vance Worley’s Line: 4.1 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 Ks, 71 P, 46 S, 4/3 GO/FO.

• Miguel Rojas and Ichiro Suzuki hit back-to-back singles off E-Jax to start the top of the seventh and push the Nats’ starter up to 102 pitches. Dee Gordon dropped a bunt down that Jackson fielded cleanly, but his rushed throw sailed by first base, allowing a run to score, 5-3.

With runners on first and third, Dusty Baker walked Giancarlo Stanton intentionally and went to the pen for Oliver Perez.

Perez got a weak grounded to third from Christian Yelich and a force at the plate for out No. 1. Matt Albers came on and got Marcell Ozuna looking with a 1-2 fastball for out No. 2, and a groundout to short from J.T. Realmuto to end the threat. Still 5-3 Nats.

• Edwin Jackson’s Line: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 5 Ks, 1 HR, 103 P, 60 S, 7/5 GO/FO.

• Daniel Murphy doubled (No. 38) and Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Lind walked with Junichi Tazawa on the mound in the bottom of the seventh, and Anthony Rendon worked the count full and lined a 3-2 fastball to right-center for a base clearing two-bagger (No. 33), that made it 8-3 Nationals.

• Brandon Kintzler retired the Marlins in order in a 16-pitch, 12-strike top of the eighth.

• Sean Doolittle got the ninth (with an 8-3 lead?) and gave up back-to-back singles, but he stranded both runners to end the threat. Ballgame. Final Score: 8-3 Nationals.

NATIONALS PREGAME NOTES:

• With last night’s loss, Miami’s lead in the all-time series with Washington was down to 122-111, though the Nationals had a 55-35 record against the Marlins since 2013 after last night’s win.
• Miami’s Marlins are 49-34 since May 28th, good for the the fourth-best record in the majors over that stretch, behind only the LA Dodgers (61-18), Cleveland Indians (50-33), and Washington Nationals (49-33).
• After last night’s loss, the Marlins have now lost four of the last five games with the Nationals, and Washington holds just an 8-6 advantage in the season series with Miami.
• Giancarlo Stanton was held homer-less last night, but the Marlins’ slugger is now the eighth-fastest player by date to reach 50, just one day later than Sammy Sosa in 2001 (Barry Bonds was the earliest, on Aug. 11, 2001). He hit No. 51 in the first.
• Washington’s .585 winning% at home after last night’s win was the fourth-best home W% in the majors heading into tonight’s game.
• Nationals’ starters started the night ranked second in the majors in opponents’ AVG (.229), third in strikeouts (814), second in opponents’ OBP (.297), and opponents’ SLG (.383), and second in ERA (3.49).
• Washington’s offense started the night leading the NL in SLG (.459), runs scored (689), OPS (.794), and extra-base hits (459), and the Nationals were ranked second in the NL in AVG (.271), fourth in OBP (.336) and sixth in home runs (182).

Nationals now 80-51