Six Miami Marlins pitchers combined on a seven-hitter and Miguel Rojas and Jesus Sanchez homered in a 5-1 victory against the visiting Washington Nationals on Tuesday night.
Marlins starter Cody Poteet threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and issuing one walk. He struck out four. Anthony Bender (1-3), Steven Okert, Anthony Bass, Tanner Scott and Cole Sulser followed in relief.
Nationals starter Joan Adon (1-7) was solid for 4 2/3 innings, giving up one run on five hits with no walks and two strikeouts. Yet he was tagged with the loss and became the first seven-game loser in the major leagues this year.
The Marlins have won back-to-back games for the first time since a seven-game winning streak ended April 30.
Washington has lost seven of its last nine games. That includes Miami’s 8-2 victory on Monday night to start the three-game series.
Rojas, who notched three hits, belted his second home run of the season in the fifth inning to open the scoring.
The Nationals had two singles and two walks in the top of the sixth, but they didn’t score. After Victor Robles singled and was picked off first, Washington loaded the bases with two outs, but reliever Steven Okert struck out Nelson Cruz on a full-count off-speed pitch.
Then the Marlins extended their lead in the bottom of the inning on Sanchez’s massive home run, his fourth of the season, off Steve Cishek. Sanchez was in the game because outfielder Bryan De La Cruz exited with a forearm contusion after the fourth inning after he was hit by a pitch.
Miami widened the lead to 4-0 in the seventh, aided by two throwing errors by the Nationals.
Washington finally got on the board after Robles reached on an infield single to begin the eighth and Cesar Hernandez doubled to move him to third. Josh Bell provided a sacrifice fly.
Miami reset the lead at four runs on an RBI single from Jacob Stallings in the bottom of the inning.
Bender was credited with his first victory since Sept. 8.
Hernandez and Robles both finished with two hits for Washington which finished with three errors.
–Field Level Media