Washington Nationals 5-2 over Marlins for series sweep; 11th straight over Miami...

Stephen Strasburg was out after throwing 103 in just five scoreless innings of work, but he held Miami to just three hits while he was on the mound, and the Washington Nationals hit two home runs (by Anthony Rendon and Bryce Harper) and scored five runs total, making it three straight for the series sweep and 11 in-a-row overall against the Marlins going back to last season. 5-2 final in Marlins Park.

Strasburg vs Miami: With all the rain in Washington during the last homestand, Stephen Strasburg went eight days between his ninth and tenth starts, which he said will definitely have an effect. He walked a season-high four batters against the LA Dodgers in D.C., when he got back on the mound, and he gave up two homers, (matching his home run total from the previous 27 innings in 6 ²⁄₃ IP), and allowed three earned runs total in a 7-2 loss.

“It’s tough having a long layoff when you weren’t really expecting it,” Strasburg said, as quoted by MASN’s Byron Kerr.

“I gave it everything I had. It just wasn’t good enough today. There’s going to be another game tomorrow and we just have to keep playing.”

Strasburg threw a season-high 115 pitches in that start. Davey Martinez said that the long layoff before today’s outing in the series finale in Miami made him comfortable taking his starter as far as he did.

“He’s going to get an extra day, so, and he was fine, he said he felt good, and like I said, he kept us in the game.”

Strasburg took the mound in Miami this afternoon, in the series finale with the Marlins, on six days’ rest, and labored through three scoreless, over which he threw 65 pitches total, then threw a quick, 13-pitch fourth inning after the Nats jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a solo homer by Anthony Rendon.

Strasburg helped his own cause in the top of the fifth, shooting a one-out opposite field single to right to drive Wilmer Difo in after Difo lined a leadoff triple to center to start the inning, 2-0.

A 25-pitch bottom of the fifth inning left him at 103 total on the day. That was it for Stras vs the Marlins...

Stephen Strasburg’s Line: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 Ks, 103 P, 68 S, 1/3 GO/FO.

Hernandez vs Washington: In his first two starts, after he debuted in the majors earlier this season out of the pen, 23-year-old Marlins’ right-hander Elieser Hernandez, who was a Rule 5 pick out of the Houston Astros’ organization this winter, gave up two runs on eight hits, walking one and striking out five in ten total innings.

Armed with a 90+ mph fastball, a mid-80s change, and an 82-84 mph slider, Miami’s starter took the mound this afternoon trying to help the Marlins avoid a third straight loss in their series with the Nationals, and their eleventh straight loss to Washington overall, going back to last season.

Hernandez started the day with three scoreless inning on just 33 pitches, but a 3-1 fastball to Anthony Rendon with one down in the fourth ended up flying over the left field fence for a solo home run that made it 1-0 Nationals. Rendon’s 5th of 2018.

Wilmer Difo lined a first-pitch fastball to center field to lead off the fifth, sprinting around the bases as Lewis Brinson chased down the ball, and he scored one out later on a single through the right side by Stephen Strasburg, 2-0.

Elieser Hernandez’s Line: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 Ks, 1 HR, 73 P, 44 S, 3/1 GO/FO.

Trea Streaker: Nats’ shortstop Trea Turner brought a seven-game hit streak into the series finale with the Marlins in Miami, over which the 24-year-old was 10 for 32 (.313/.313/.500) with three doubles and a home run.

Turner started the day leading all NL shortstops in OBP (.364), runs scored (29), walks (28), and stolen bases (14), and he was the National League’s top shortstop in terms of fWAR, at 1.7 on the season.

Turner was hitless through his first three at bats this afternoon, but he stepped in with two on and one out in the sixth and lined a 1-0 fastball from Jarlin Garcia to the left-center gap to drive in a run and make it 4-0. Eight-game hit streak for Turner after his 11th double.

#DifOBP: After last night’s win and again before today’s game, Nats’ skipper Davey Martinez talked about the energy and excitement that Wilmer Difo brings to the lineup, and he brings some speed with him too, which was on display when the 26-year-old infielder lined a triple to center to start the fifth, and sped around the bases for his first three-base hit of the year, then scored on an opposite field single by Stephen Strasburg, 2-0.

“Difo is Difo,” Martinez said with a laugh, as quoted by MASN’s Byron Kerr. “Like I said before, when he hits a home run, you think he hit his 600th.” Difo enjoys triples too.

BULLPEN ACTION: Bryce Harper welcomed Jarlin Garcia to the game with a solo shot on a 2-2 fastball inside that missed its intended target by half a plate and ended up inside. Harp got all of it, sending his 16th of 2018 out to right field to make it 3-0 Nationals in the top of the sixth.

Justin Miller took over for the Nationals in the bottom of the sixth, and retired the side in order in a 15-pitch frame.

Trea Turner drove in a run with an RBI double to left-center in the seventh off Garcia, and Bryce Harper hit a sac fly to center field to bring Mark Reynolds in, 5-0.

Wander Suero retired two in the seventh before an E:6 by Trea Turner and a single by Derek Dietrich put runners on the corners in front of J.T. Realmuto, who lined a first-pitch cutter to left for an RBI double, 5-1. Trevor Gott took over there and got the final out of the inning.

Sammy Solis took over on the mound in the eighth, and gave up a solo shot by Justin Bour on a 2-0 fastball up in the zone that Bour sent out to center field, 5-2.

Brandon Kintzler got the ninth with Sean Doolittle unavailable after pitching in each of the first two games in Miami, and the sinker-balling right-hander and worked around a one-out single for a scoreless frame. Ballgame.

Final Score: 5-2 Nationals

Nationals now 29-22