Washington Nationals sweep three-game set with 8-5 win over Miami Marlins

For the second night in a row, Matt Adams hit a three-run blast in the sixth inning. Last night his 11th home run of the season put Washington up 4-1 on Miami in what ended up a 7-5 win for the Nationals. Adams’ 12th tied things up at 4-4 tonight, and Victor Robles hit a two-run blast later in the sixth that made it a 6-4 lead over the Marlins in what ended up being an 8-5 win for the Nats, who swept the three-game set in South Florida.

Strasburg vs the Fish: Stephen Strasburg held the Marlins scoreless over eight innings on the mound in Miami back in late April, giving up two hits and two walks and striking out 11 of the 27 batters he faced in a 5-0 win.

The only thing that kept Strasburg from a potential complete game, was his manager, who decided that the 104-pitch effort was enough.

“I think he wanted to go back out, but that was perfect, that’s what we needed... I just went down there with him and I said great job,” Davey Martinez told reporters.

Going into tonight’s outing in South Florida, the 30-year-old righty was (8-4) in 16 starts, with a 3.79 ERA, a 3.40 FIP, 27 walks, (2.38 BB/9), 120 Ks (10.59 K/9), and a .221/.278/.368 line against in 102 IP.

Strasburg tossed two scoreless on 29 pitches, but a single by Bryan Holaday, HBP on Fish starter Sandy Alcantara, and line drive to right by Miguel Rojas, on which Adam Eaton fell down while charging it, allowed two runs to score, 2-0, and Rojas moved up on the error, and scored on a groundout, 3-0 Marlins after three in Miami.

It was 3-1 Fish in the bottom of the fifth when Strasburg gave up three straight two-out singles and another run, with Miguel Rojas (3 for 3 tonight, 9 for 22 career vs Strasburg), Harold Ramirez, and Garrett Cooper all connecting for hits, with Cooper’s driving in the Marlins’ fourth run, 4-1.

Given a 6-4 lead to work with in the top of the sixth, however, Strasburg came back out in the bottom of the inning with a 16-pitch, 1-2-3 frame which left him at 93 pitches overall.

Rojas was 4 for 4 on the night (and 10 for 23 vs Stras) after a two-out double in the bottom of the seventh, but he was stranded at second at the end of an 18-pitch frame that left the Nationals’ starter at 111 pitches overall.

Stephen Strasburg’s Line: 7.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 4 Ks, 11 P, 75 S, 8/4 GO/FO.

Alcantara vs the Nats: In five starts since he got knocked around a bit by the Nationals back on May 25th in D.C., giving up six hits, two walks, and five runs, four earned, in five innings of work in a 5-0 win, Sandy Alcantara had put up a 1.71 ERA and a .237/.336/.342 line against in 31 ²⁄₃ IP going into tonight’s outing, leaving him with a 3.51 ERA and a .253/.341/.377 line against in 15 starts and 89 ²⁄₃ IP overall on the season.

His second start of 2019 against the Marlins’ NL East rivals began with six straight outs and three hitless innings (after he worked around a walk in the third).

Alcantara got two outs in the fourth as well, before giving up an opposite field home run to left on a 3-1 sinker on the outside half of the plate that Soto powered out for his 13th HR of the 2019 campaign. 3-1 Fish after three and a half. The blast was the first off Alcantara in 48 IP going back to May 11th.

It was 4-1 in the sixth when Trea Turner singled (and stole second) and Anthony Rendon got hit by a pitch, putting two on in front of Matt Adams, who hit another three-run blast out to right field after doing the same thing in the sixth inning last night, 4-4. No. 12 for Adams.

Kurt Suzuki lined a fastball to right for a double in the next at bat and Victor Robles crushed a first-pitch slider and hit a two-run homer out to left to put the Nationals on top, 6-4. No. 12 for Robles as well.

Sandy Alcantara’s Line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 3 HRs, 90 P, 55 S, 8/5 GO/FO.

Juan Soto still has an on-base streak?: Juan Soto’s 10-game hit streak came to an end with an 0-for last night, but he extended an on-base streak to 11-straight with the first of the two walks he took. Soto was 15 for 38 (.395 AVG) with two doubles, two triples, two home runs, 11 RBIs, seven walks, two stolen bases, and eight runs scored over the previous 11, and a 2-out home run in the fourth tonight extended his on-base streak to 12-straight games.

BULLPEN ACTION: Nick Anderson took over on the mound for the Marlins in the top of the seventh and gave up a leadoff, hustle double by Trea Turner on a soft liner to left field, but Turner got thrown out trying to steal third base in the next at bat, and the Nationals came up empty in the seventh inning.

José Quijada retired the first two batters he faced in the eighth, but gave up a two-out home run to left on a 2-1 changeup to Kurt Suzuki, whose 9th long ball of the season made it a 7-4 Nationals’ lead.

Wander Suero struck out the side in a dominant, 12-pitch bottom of the eighth.

Sergio Romo left the mound with an ankle issue after Trea Turner reached on an error, and collided with the pitcher at first base and Adam Eaton singled his way on and drove Turner in, 8-4.

Wei-Yin Chen took over for Romo and got the final out of the inning.

Sean Doolittle got the ninth, with a four-run lead, and gave up a one-out walk and single which put runners on the corners.

A run scored on a groundout, 8-5, and Miguel Rojas stepped in as the potential tying run and grounded out to second to end it. Ballgame.

Nationals now 40-40