Jorge Soler slugged a go-ahead, two-run homer for the second straight game as the host Miami Marlins defeated the Washington Nationals 4-3 on Wednesday night.
Miami improved to 14-1 in one-run games.
On Tuesday, Soler hit a walk-off homer with two outs in the ninth inning. On Wednesday, his homer was much less dramatic, putting the Marlins on top in the fourth.
Miami also got contributions from Jean Segura and Luis Arraez, who each went 2-for-4. Arraez leads the majors in batting average (.389). Bryan De La Cruz added an RBI double while extending his hitting streak to 11 games.
Washington’s Corey Dickerson, who spent 2020 and part of 2021 with the Marlins, went 2-for-4 with a homer, two runs and two RBIs. Teammate Jeimer Candelario went 3-for-4.
Edward Cabrera (3-3) earned the win, allowing five hits and two runs in five innings. He struck out six and did not issue a walk.
Dylan Floro pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his third save. Four Marlins relievers combined to allow just one unearned run.
MacKenzie Gore (3-3) took the loss, allowing five hits, two walks and four runs. He struck out seven in 5 1/3 innings.
Washington opened the scoring in the second inning as Candelario singled, and Dickerson got ahold of a 97-mph sinker, sending it 432 feet to right center for a 2-0 lead.
Miami cut its deficit to 2-1 in the bottom of the second. De La Cruz walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch, took third on Segura’s single and scored on Yuli Gurriel’s sacrifice fly.
The Marlins grabbed a 3-2 lead in the fourth as Arraez singled, and Soler got a first-pitch fastball and banged it 407 feet for a two-run homer to center.
Miami extended its advantage to 4-2 in the sixth as Soler walked and scored from first on De La Cruz’s one-out double that bounced off the right-center-field wall on one hop.
Washington cut its deficit to 4-3 in the seventh. Dickerson singled and advanced on Ildemaro Vargas’ infield single before taking third on shortstop Jon Berti’s throwing error. Dickerson then scored on Alex Call’s groundout.
–Field Level Media