Washington Nationals rally from a 9-0 deficit for 14-12 win over Miami Marlins; Trea Turner drives in eight runs...

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Trea Turner told reporters after Wednesday’s loss to the Boston Red Sox, which was the third straight to the Sox, and fifth straight overall, that it was do or die time for the Washington Nationals, who fell below .500 at 42-43 with the loss.

When they fell behind 7-0 after two in the series opener with the Miami Marlins, it looked like maybe they hadn’t reached rock bottom as Adam Eaton said the previous night.

Then a funny thing happened on the way to what seemed likely to be another loss.

They scored one in the fourth on a Trea Turner homer. Added four in the fifth. And five in the sixth, with four scoring on a Turner grand slam, and all of a sudden the Nationals had the lead.

And they added to it in the seventh, with four runs coming in, one on a Spencer Kieboom single, two on a single by Turner, 13-9, and another on Juan Soto’s second hit of the night, 14-9.

The Marlins rallied for three in the top of the eighth, but the Nationals held on for a 14-12 win.

Hellboy vs the Fish: Jeremy Hellickson threw 57 of 98 pitches for strikes in his return to the Nationals’ rotation last week in Philadelphia, giving up seven hits, two walks, and three runs over 4 ²⁄₃ IP on the mound in Citizens Bank Park.

It was Hellickson’s first outing since he injured his hamstring on June 3rd in Atlanta, GA’s SunTrust Park, and it left him with a 2.63 ERA, 3.50 FIP, eight walks (1.50 BB/9), 38 Ks (7.13 K/9), and a .232/.274/.403 line against in 48 innings this season.

He came into tonight’s game battling something flu-like, according to Nats’ manager Davey Martinez, and put runners on the corners with a leadoff single and two-out walk in the first, but got a grounder to third off Martin Prado’s bat for what should have been out No. 3, only to have Anthony Rendon boot it. E:5. 1-0 Fish.

Two singles and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases in the second, and a J.T. Realmuto single to center on a 1-1 fastball drove in two runs for a 3-0 Marlins’ lead.

Justin Bour got one through the shift in the next at bat, and it was 4-0 after 42 pitches from Hellickson, and 7-0 after Martin Prado hit an 0-1 fastball out to left for a three-run blast.

Bour added a two-run home run in the fourth to make it 9-0 as Davey Martinez apparently decided to stick with Hellickson for as long as he could go to ... spare the bullpen?

Jefry Rodriguez took over on the mound in the fifth, however...

Jeremy Hellickson’s Line: 4.0 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 1 BB, 2 Ks, 2 HRs, 75 P, 51 S, 7/2 GO/FO.

The Life of Pablo: Ranked 20th overall in the Miami Marlins’ organization by MLB.com, 22-year-old right-hander Pablo Lopez, who signed out of Venezuela for $280,000 in 2012, put up a 0.62 ERA in eight starts and 43 ²⁄₃ IP at Double-A and a 3.38 ERA in 16 ²⁄₃ IP at Triple-A in the Marlins’ system before he was called up to make his MLB debut against the New York Mets last weekend, going six innings on the mound in Marlins Park, over which he gave up six hits, a walk, and two earned runs (both on home runs).

Lopez gave up his third run in the majors, on his third home run allowed, when Trea Turner took him deep to center on a 1-0 fastball to lead off the fourth, though the Fish hurler was working with a 9-1 lead at that point.

Three straight singles loaded the bases with no one out in the Nationals’ fifth, and pinch hitter Adam Eaton took a one-out walk to force in a run after Pedro Severino went down swinging for the first out of the frame, 9-2. Another run scored on a force at second on a Trea Turner grounder, 9-3, and 9-5 after a two-run double to center by Juan Soto.

Lopez held it there, but the 36-pitch frame left him at 83 total after five.

Pablo Lopez’s Line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 Ks, 1 HR, 83 P, 56 S, 8/1 GO/FO.

Desperate for highlights: We look at Trea Turner, who entered tonight’s game 22 for 61 for a (.361 AVG) with a double, a triple, two home runs, five walks, two stolen bases, and 11 runs in his last 15 games, and got the Nationals on the board with his 10th home run of the 2018 season, a solo shot to center off Marlins’ righty Pablo Lopez that led off the fourth, making it... 9-1.

Turner hit his 11th home run in the sixth, taking a 97 mph 1-2 fastball from Adam Conley for a ride to left field for a go-ahead grand slam that made it 10-9 in the Nationals’ favor.

Turner was 3 for 5 after he singled to drive in the Nationals’ 13th run in the seventh.

BULLPEN ACTION: Jefry Rodriguez, who was called back up from Triple-A after righty Erick Fedde was placed on the 10-Day DL with right shoulder inflammation this afternoon.

Rodriguez took over in the fifth with the score 9-1 Miami, and retired the side in order in a 13-pitch frame.

Shawn Kelley came on in the sixth since the Nationals pinch hit for Rodriguez with the bases loaded in what ended up a four-run fifth that made it a 9-5 game with Adam Eaton walking to force in one, Trea Turner bringing in a run with a groundout, and Juan Soto driving in two with a double.

Adam Conley took over for the Marlins in the sixth, and gave up a leadoff walk to Bryce Harper and a double to right by Matt Adams (3 for 3 at that point in his return to the lineup).

Daniel Murphy stepped in with two on and no one out, and hit a fly to deep left on which both runners advanced, 9-6. Mark Reynolds hit for catcher Pedro Severino (0 for 2), and walked to load’em up, but Wilmer Difo K’d trying to check his swing on a 2-2 change, but Trea Turner followed with a long fly to left that landed in the visitor’s bullpen. Grand slam. 10-9 Nationals. Turner’s second of the game.

Brandon Kintzler needed nine pitches (eight strikes) to retire the Marlins in order in the top of the seventh, and the Nationals added four more in the bottom of the inning with Spencer Kieboom singling in run, Trea Turner lining one to left to drive in two more, and Juan Soto singling to make it a 14-9 lead.

Justin Miller put the first two batters on in the eighth, however, and Brian Anderson hit a three-run shot to center on the second pitch from Kelvin Herrera, 14-12.

Sean Doolittle came on in the ninth and wrapped it up with no drama (outside of a leadoff single, and a two-out single that almost hit his head).

Ballgame.

Final Score: 14-12 Nationals

Nationals now 43-43