Washington Nationals swept in 4-game series with 3-2 loss to Miami Marlins; drop 12th in 13 to Fish in 2022...

Will Corbin Put It All Together Again?:

“I’ve been feeling really good, and the results haven’t ... some ups and downs,” Nats’ lefty Patrick Corbin said, as quoted by MASN’s Mark Zuckerman, after he struck out 12 hitters over eight strong innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates last time out before he faced the Miami Marlins this afternoon on the 4th of July in D.C.

“But I felt today I was able to stay on the attack, use both sides of the plate. ... Just one of those nights where it seemed everything was clicking. And it just shows all the work we’ve been doing to try to get to this point.”

“Tonight, he was on,” manager Davey Martinez said after the outing against the Bucs, “... and we’ve all seen him like that, so hopefully we can sustain that with him, and like I said, I think he’s right where he needs to be right now.”

“If we get that every five days from Corbin we’re going to be good,” he added.

Corbin allowed a run on five hits, and walked just two batters in the 113-pitch appearance at home in Nationals Park.

Going up against the Marlins this morning, Corbin tossed two quick, scoreless innings on 18 pitches to start, but he gave up a leadoff single by Luke Williams in the top of the third, and Miami’s second baseman today took second a batter later, on a sac bunt by Billy Hamilton, stole third base (mostly on the pitcher), and scored on a two-out line drive single off Jesús Aguilar’s bat, 1-0.

Corbin held the Marlins there through six innings, striking out the side in a 21-pitch sixth which left him at 84 pitches total, and the lefty returned to the mound in the top of the seventh, and worked around a two-out double by Miguel Rojas in a 13-pitch frame which had him up to 97 total on the day...

Patrick Corbin’s Line: 7.0 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 Ks, 97 P, 67 S, 7/4 GO/FO.

Garrett, Braxton Garrett:

Ranked the No. 21 prospect in Miami’s system coming into this system, Braxton Garrett, 24, and a 2016 1st Round pick (7th overall) by the Marlins, got called up in early June, and over five starts last month, the left-hander put up a 5.24 ERA, a 3.39 FIP, six walks, 22 Ks, and an ugly-ish .330/.381/.505 line against in 22 ¹⁄₃ IP.

Coming off a tough outing against the St. Louis Cardinals in which he gave up seven hits and five runs in 4 ²⁄₃ IP, Garrett held Washington’s Nationals off the board through five, on just 50 pitches, retiring seven-straight after a one-out single by Victor Robles in the third, giving up just three hits overall with the Fish up 1-0 after the top of the third inning.

Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images

Garrett was up to 10 of 11 batters set down following a one-out single by Maikel Franco in the second when he took the mound in the sixth, and retired the side in order, 10-straight, 13 of 14 set down, and he retired the side in order in an 11-pitch seventh as well, for 13-in-a-row retired, and 16 of 17 going back to the second.

Garrett got up to 14-straight set down and 17 of 18 retired, but walked Ehire Adrianza with one out in the eighth. Adrianza stole second, and scored on a line drive single to right by Luis García, 1-1.

Braxton Garrett’s Line: 7.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 Ks, 83 P, 57 S, 11/0 GO/FO.

Bullpen Action:

Steve Cishek kept it a 1-0 game in the Marlins’ favor with a scoreless top of the eighth.

Zach Pop took over for Miami with the score tied at 1-1 and Luis García at first with one out in the home-half of the eighth, after García’s RBI single knotted things up. Keibert Ruiz hit one back up the middle of the field for a pinch hit single, but García only got to second on the play. Juan Soto stepped in next as a second consecutive pinch hitter, and walked to load the bases for Lane Thomas, who popped out behind home for out No. 2. Josh Bell? Pop to left-center. Tied at 1-1 after eight.

Kyle Finnegan got the top of the ninth, and worked around a two-out single to give the Nats a change to walk off on the 4th of July.

Jimmy Yacabonis came on for the Marlins in the bottom of the ninth, and gave up a leadoff single by Nelson Cruz, but Yadiel Hernández grounded into a 3-6-1 DP in the next AB, and a Maikel Franco fly to center for out No. 3 sent this one to extras.

Tanner Rainey, after blowing a save yesterday, came on and threw a wild pitch in an 0-2 count to Jesús Aguilar, allowing the Marlins’ free runner to take third base.

Rainey threw 99 MPH heat by Aguilar up high for a swinging K and out No. 1, and got Brian Anderson swinging for out No. 2, but fell behind 1-0 on Bryan De La Cruz and gave up a 411-foot home run to left on a 98 MPH heater De La Cruz hit off the top of the left field foul pole for a two-run shot and a 3-1 lead.

Dylan Floro gave up a single by Ehire Adrianza which put runners on first and third, but he got a double play out of Luis García for the first two outs of the inning.

A run scored on the double play, 3-2, and Keibert Ruiz came up with a chance to tie it, but settled for a single to center field, which got César Hernández a pinch hit opportunity, but Hernández grounded out to end it...

Nationals now 29-53