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Wearing No. 45 as a tribute to his friend Tyler Skaggs, who died on Monday in a Texas hotel room, former teammate Patrick Corbin took the mound tonight in the nation’s capital with a heavy heart and tossed seven strong against the Miami Marlins, holding Washington’s rivals to a run on six hits in what was a 2-1 game in the Nationals’ favor when he was done for the night.
The Fish tied it at 2-2 in the eighth, and it was still tied in the bottom of the ninth when Yan Gomes reached on an error/infield hit and scored on a walk-off double by Trea Turner, 3-2.
Corbin vs the Marlins again: In his last two starts against the Marlins, one at home and one on the road in Miami, Patrick Corbin has given up seven hits, two walks, and one run in 16 innings (0.56 ERA), striking out 14 and holding Fish hitters to a combined .135/.167/.154 line.
“He pitched really well,” Davey Martinez said after the Nationals’ 7-5 win over the Marlins last week.
“He gave up that one run, but he was really good all game.”
Pitching on an emotional night following the death of his friend and former teammate, Tyler Skaggs, Corbin, who usually wears No. 46, but wore No. 45 as a tribute to Skaggs, allowed a run in the first, giving up singles by each of the first three batters he faced, but he kept it at a run and held the Marlins there through three as the Nationals answered back and took a 2-1 lead.
Patrick Corbin, White Castle Special (3 Nasty Sliders). pic.twitter.com/AwC6FxPIbD
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 2, 2019
Corbin stayed on the mound in spite of a 1-hour, 15-minute rain delay, and returned with to the hill in the fourth, working around a one-out single, and worked around a two-out single in the fifth, picking Miguel Rojas off first after he reached on a ground ball to center.
After retiring the Marlins in order in the sixth, striking out two, Corbin came back out for the seventh as well, and tossed another 1-2-3 frame.
Patrick Corbin’s Line: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 Ks, 87 P, 56 S, 7/1 GO/FO.
This one's for 4⃣5⃣#TheHaloWay // #OnePursuit pic.twitter.com/vKTwozq9gG
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 3, 2019
Gallen vs the Nationals again: Marlins’ rookie Zac Gallen held the Nationals to one hit in five scoreless last week in Miami, but three straight hits in the sixth ended his outing and all the runners to reach base ended up scoring.
“He’s got good stuff,” Davey Martinez told reporters after the Nationals’ 7-5 win.
“I mean slider was good, kept the ball down, we finally got the ball up in the zone and we had one inning where we had three hits, boom, boom, boom, but he has really good stuff.
“I’m just glad that we were able to get him up a little bit and we started hitting the ball.”
Going up against Gallen twice within a week, the Nats got to him earlier this time, with Trea Turner singling to start the bottom of the first, after the Fish jumped out to a 1-0 lead, and Juan Soto hitting a two-run home run over the out-of-town scoreboard in right for a 2-1 lead.
Juan Soto is hitting .361 since May 16.
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 2, 2019
Juan Soto has 15 HR in 2019.
Juan Soto has the 10th best OPS in @MLB.
Juan Soto is STILL only 20 years old.#ChildishBambino // #OnePursuit pic.twitter.com/QIjBCxfkHM
Gallen got through two innings, but didn’t return after a 1-hour, 15-minute rain delay...
Zac Gallen’s Line: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 Ks, 1 HR, 37 P, 23 S, 0/4 GO/FO.
SotOBP: Juan Soto finished up the Nationals’ six-game road trip to Miami and Detroit with a 15-game on-base streak going, over which the 20-year-old outfielder was 17 for 49 (.347 AVG) with two doubles, two triples, four home runs, 13 RBIs, 12 walks, 13 strikeouts, and 12 runs scored over the course of the streak.
Soto extended it to 16-straight games in his first at bat against the Marlins in Nationals Park tonight, taking Zac Gallen deep to right field and over the out-of-town scoreboard on an 0-1 curve for a two-run home run.
wow. loooooook at aalllllll thoooooose chickens pic.twitter.com/ehpTrVSU7E
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) July 3, 2019
BULLPEN ACTION: Lefty Adam Conley took over for the Marlins in the bottom of the third and worked around a two-out triple by Juan Soto for a scoreless frame to keep it 2-1 in the Nationals’ favor.
Conley worked around a single in the fourth for two scoreless frames.
Austin Brice retired the Nationals in order in the bottom of the fifth inning, striking out one batter.
Brice gave up a two-out single by Howie Kendrick in the bottom of the sixth, but struck Ryan Zimmerman out for a second scoreless frame.
In his third inning of work, Brice set the Nationals down in order.
Wander Suero took over for the Nationals in the top of the eighth, and surrendered a double to right by César Puello, who took third on a groundout and scored on a sac fly to tie it up at 2-2.
Marlins’ rookie Nick Anderson came on in the bottom of the eighth and gave up a one-out single by Adam Eaton and a two-out walk to Juan Soto. Howie Kendrick stepped in with a runner in scoring position and hit a grounder up the middle, but Soto beat the underhand toss to the bag. Bases loaded. Ryan Zimmerman? Groundout. Still 2-2.
Sean Doolittle gave up a two-out walk in a 10-pitch battle with Starlin Castro, but got a soft liner to second from Neil Walker to end the Marlins’ ninth.
José Quijada took over for Miami in the bottom of the ninth. Yan Gomes reached on a sharp grounder to third Neil Walker couldn’t backhand. Brian Dozier stepped in next and sent a fly to left for out No. 2, but Trea Turner battled for 10 pitches before hitting a gapper to right-center field for a walk-off double and a 3-2 win.
Nationals now 43-41