Washington Nationals drop 2nd straight to Miami Marlins, 3-2: Patrick Corbin retires 16 of last 17, but that one hurts...

Patrick Corbin retired 16 of the last 17 batters he faced this afternoon in loanDepot park, and finished six innings against the Miami Marlins on an efficient 77 pitches, but that one hitter he didn’t retire in that stretch, Jon Berti, hit an opposite field home run that gave the Fish a 3-2 lead over the visiting Washington Nationals that held up.

Corbin vs the Fish: In back-to-back wins in his last two outings, Patrick Corbin had put up a 1.88 ERA (3 ER in 14 ¹⁄₃ IP), walking two, and striking out 14, while holding opposing hitters to a combined .218/.246/.345 line.

Corbin talked after his previous outing before today’s start about having his slider back after struggling with his go-to pitch over the first few months of the 2021 campaign.

“I think one of my better sliders that I’ve had this season,” Corbin said, “being able to throw some good ones in the zone and throw some back foot ones.”

“I thought fastball command was good,” the left-hander added, “... and one of the strongest I’ve felt throughout the course of a game.”

Looking to build on wins over the Pirates and Mets, Corbin took the mound this afternoon in Miami with a 1-0 lead and gave up a leadoff triple to right on a 1-1 fastball to Marlins’ leadoff man Jazz Chisholm, Jr., who scored on a groundout by Starling Marte that tied things up at 1-1 in the bottom of the first. Jesús Aguilar doubled in the next at bat and scored on a single to right by Miguel Rojas, 2-1 Fish.

Corbin retired 10-straight Marlins after giving up a two-out single in the first, completing four innings on 51 pitches as the Nationals rallied to tie it up a 2-2.

That streak of retired batters ended when Jon Berti hit a 2-0 sinker outside out to right for a leadoff home run in the bottom of the fifth, putting the Marlins back up, 3-2. Berti’s 4th this season.

Corbin came back out with a nine-pitch, 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth, finishing his outing with 16 of the last 17 batters set down, though that one he didn’t retire was the difference as he left the game, with the Nationals behind, 3-2.

Patrick Corbin’s Line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 Ks, 1 HR, 77 P, 55 S, 8/2 GO/FO.

Thompson vs the Nats: Signed as a free agent this winter, Zach Thompson, 27, and a 2014 5th Round pick by the White Sox, debuted in the majors with the Marlins earlier this month, and in three starts before tonight’s outing, the right-hander had a 1.50 ERA, four walks, 14 Ks, and a .186/.271/.256 line against in 12 IP.

Thompson talked after he tossed four hitless innings against the Chicago Cubs in Wrigley Field last time out before today, about the thrill of being in the majors, after he debuted in Fenway Park, pitched once at home, and then threw in the friendly confines on the North Side of Chicago.

“It’s Cloud 9 to be here,” Thompson told reporters, as quoted on MLB.com. “I’ve just been living on this high ever since I’ve been up here, pitching at Fenway, now pitching at Wrigley. You’ve got however many people here today, [37,158] people. Just knowing that I can compete with these guys obviously just gives me a tremendous amount of confidence to keep going and keep getting outs and keep putting my team in the best possible situation that I can.”

Thompson found himself in trouble early this afternoon, walking Trea Turner with one down in the first, and giving up a line drive to left-center by Juan Soto that Marlins’ left-fielder Jesús Sánchez lost in the lights and flat-out missed, gifting Soto and the Nationals an RBI double and a 1-0 lead.

A swinging bunt by Yan Gomes moved Soto to third with two down, but Thompson got out of the inning without further damage.

Thompson hit Yan Gomes with a 1-1 curve with one out in the fourth, snapping a streak of eight-straight batters retired, and Starlin Castro hit a line drive to left-center in the next at bat that the Marlins kicked around in the outfield, allowing Gomes to score from first to tie things up at 2-2 two innings after the Fish answered the Nationals’ early run.

Thompson was up to 91 pitches and 11 Ks from 25 batters he faced after picking up two Ks in the top of the sixth, and that was it for the right-hander...

Zach Thompson’s Line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 11 Ks, 91 P, 57 S, 0/5 GO/FO.

Road Soto: Heading into tonight’s game, the Nationals mentioned in their pregame notes, Juan Soto had hit safely in nine of his last 12 games, going 13 for 44 over that stretch, (.295 AVG) with three doubles, four RBIs, six walks, two steals, and seven runs scored, and multi-hit efforts in four of the last six.

He made it hits in 10 of 13 with an RBI double the first time up, driving in Trea Turner to put the Nationals up 1-0 in the top of the first.

Bullpen Action: Marlins’ righty Anthony Bender gave up a leadoff double by Josh Harrison on a 1-1 slider in the first at bat of the top of the seventh, after the reliever took over.

Ryan Zimmerman lined out to right in a pinch hit appearance in the next at bat, allowing Harrison to take third in front of Kyle Schwarber, who grounded out unproductively, and Trea Turner’s pop to foul territory off third ended the threat.

Austin Voth worked around a two-out double and walk in a 16-pitch bottom of the seventh, stranding two runners to keep it a one-run game.

Dylan Floro worked around a Josh Bell single and a Starlin Castro walk for a scoreless top of the eighth, still 3-2 Marlins.

Tanner Rainey tossed a 1-2-3 eighth to keep it a one-run game.

Marlins’ righty Yimi García came on to try to close out the win, and gave up a leadoff single by Josh Harrison (2 for 4), but Alex Avila K’d swinging in an eight-pitch battle with García for out No. 1 of the Nationals’ ninth. Kyle Schwarber stepped in next and K’d swinging on a 3-2 fastball. Trea Turner? Pop to the right side for out No. 3.

Final Score: 3-2 Marlins

Nationals now 36-38