Washington Nationals’ lineup for series finale with the Miami Marlins in D.C.

Before the Washington Nationals won a third straight game against the Miami Marlins on Sunday afternoon, Davey Martinez’s squad hadn’t managed to win three in a row all year, but they took an early lead and held on. So how did it feel to get that third straight win?

“It’s great,” Martinez told reporters after the 9-6 win over the Fish.

“If you look back, regardless of wins or losses — which, we all want to win — the boys kept fighting. They played hard, they were in every game, and now it’s gratifying to to see us coming out on top, so let’s enjoy this one again and come back tomorrow, we’ve got another early game, come back tomorrow and do it again.”

Yes it’s against the only team below them in the NL East, and yes they’re still nine games under .500 on the season and 9.0 games out in the division, but you’ve got to start with streaks like the one they’re on now and build on it as much as you can if you’re going to even try to make a run. Just winning series isn’t really enough now, with the hole they’ve put themselves in.

Martinez was asked if, while he always remains positive, he’s got a little more bounce in his step with the team playing better, cleaner baseball than they have over the first two-plus months of the 2019 campaign.

“I’ll always be positive,” the second-year skipper said. “It really is nice. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a bad loser, really. I just don’t show it to people. I don’t like losing. I don’t. So when we win it’s gratifying, it really is, and like I said, I’m proud of the boys, every single day, because I know what I’m going to get out of them every day. Like I said, at the end of the day, it might be an L, but they get after it and we’re in every game, and now knowing that we won three in a row, let’s keep going.”

Four straight? A sweep of the Marlins (who’d won six straight going into this series ... after they’d lost seven straight and nine of ten before the winning streak)? We’ll find out at 1:05 PM EDT.

HERE’S THE NATIONALS’ LINEUP FOR THE SERIES FINALE WITH THE FISH: