Washington Nationals drop 2 of 3 to Miami Marlins with 12-1 loss in nation’s capital... Dagger.

Gio Gonzalez told reporters after he gave up five hits, three walks, and five earned runs in four innings in St. Louis that he was frustrated by the fact that he wasn’t doing his part in the Washington Nationals’ rotation.

Unfortunately, that continued this afternoon, in a 4 ²⁄₃-inning, 88-pitch outing in which he gave up ten hits, four walks, and was charged with eight earned runs as the visiting Miami Marlins beat the Washington Nationals 12-1 to take two of three in D.C.

Gio vs MIA: In two 2018 starts against the Miami Marlins before today, Gio Gonzalez posted a 2.25 ERA, eight walks, eight Ks, and a .268/.380/.293 line against in 12 IP.

Going into this afternoon’s outing, the left-hander was coming off a rough start on the road in St. Louis which saw him give up five hits, three walks, and five runs in just four innings on the mound against the Cardinals in what ended up a 6-4 loss in Busch Stadium.

In five second-half starts, Gonzalez was (1-3) before taking on the Fish again, with a bloated 5.60 ERA, 15 walks, 19 Ks, and a .288/.369/.452 line against in 27 ¹⁄₃ IP.

After tossing two scoreless on 29 pitches, Gonzalez gave up one and two-out walks in the top of the third, and had a blooper off Starlin Castro’s bat fall in for hit in short-center that made it 1-0 Marlins. Bryce Harper, who got a late jump on Castro’s RBI pop, misjudged an Austin Dean line drive to center in the next at bat and couldn’t catch up to it, allowing two runs to score, 3-0.

Starlin Castro lined a 1-2 fastball to left for a leadoff double in the fifth, took third on a bloop single to right by Austin Dean, and scored on a sac fly to left by JT Riddle, 4-1, and a double to left by Isaac Galloway put runners on second and third with one out, before a two-run hit by Rafael Ortega made it 6-1 and ended Gonzalez’s outing.

Gio Gonzalez’s Line: 4.2 IP, 10 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 4 BB, 5 Ks, 88 P, 53 S, 2/2 GO/FO.

Urena Appealing: Suspended for six games for his decision to hit Braves’ rookie Ronald Acuna, Jr., Marlins’ righty Jose Urena appealed the suspension, which allowed him to go against the Nationals this afternoon in the series finale in the nation’s capital.

Last time out on the mound against Washington, Miami’s 26-year-old right-hander tossed six scoreless, giving up just one hit in what ended up a 5-0 win in Marlins Park.

That win was Urena’s only one in his last nine starts, over which he’d gone (1-4) with a 5.89 ERA, 18 walks, 34 Ks, and a .283/.367/.453 line against in 40 ²⁄₃ IP.

He got a 3-0 lead to work with in the top of the third, but gave up his first run of the game on an RBI double by Adam Eaton, who was thrown out trying to take third on the hit, 3-1 in D.C. after three.

It was 8-1 when he retired the Nationals in order in a 12-pitch fifth that left him at 64 pitches overall, and a seven-pitch sixth, and 13-pitch seventh left him at 84 total with one just a run allowed and 10-straight retired.

Urena was up to 13 in a row set down after he set the Nationals down in order in a 12-pitch eighth, and he finished them off in the ninth. 16-straight. Complete game.

Jose Urena’s Line: 9.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 Ks, 108 P, 71 S, 12/4 GO/FO.

Eaton + Wall = Out: Adam Eaton tracked a ball into foul territory in right field, used the wall fo assistance and made a step-up catch for out No. 3 of a six-pitch first Nationals’ lefty Gio Gonzalez. Just watch it, it’s pretty much the only highlight for the Nationals from today:

Wieters waking up: In 14 games in August before today’s series finale with the Marlins, Matt Wieters, who started the month with a .198/.305/.306 line on the season in 2018, was 14 for 45 (.311/.365/.489) with two doubles and two home runs over that stretch, and he added his third double of the month in the third inning of this afternoon’s game, lining a 2-1 changeup from Jose Urena to right before scoring on an RBI double by Adam Eaton to get the Nats on the board, down 3-1 in the third.

BULLPEN ACTION: Greg Holland took over for Gio Gonzalez with runners on second and third and two out in the fifth, and gave up a two-run single to left by J.T. Realmuto, 8-1.

Tommy Milone gave up a leadoff single by Starlin Castro and a two-run home run to right by JT Riddle, 10-1.

J.T. Realmuto homered to left in the seventh, 11-1, for the second home run off Milone, and the third was a solo shot to left by Isaac Galloway in the eighth, 12-1.

Milone finished up his outing with a scoreless ninth, and Urena finished up the complete game in the bottom of the inning.

Ballgame.

Final Score: 12-1 Marlins

Nationals now 62-63