Marlins Snap 8-Game Skid By Beating Nationals 11-2
MIAMI (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton tied a career high with five RBIs, including a three-run homer off Stephen Strasburg, and the Miami Marlins broke an eight-game losing streak by beating the Washington Nationals 11-2 Tuesday night.
Strasburg (1-2) endured another rough outing in Miami, allowing six runs and eight hits in four innings. He fell to 2-3 at Marlins Park with an ERA of 8.61.
Tom Koehler (2-1) allowed one hit and five walks in seven scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 1.89. The performance was a welcome change for a team that had an ERA of 6.12 during the losing streak.
Both benches and bullpens cleared briefly in the fourth inning when the Nationals' Ian Desmond and Marlins catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia engaged in a heated, nose-to-nose conversation at home plate. Desmond became annoyed when he barely avoided being hit by an inside pitch from Koehler.
Desmond hollered at Koehler and spat toward the mound. Saltalamacchia then said something to the hitter, and their testy exchange began.
Umpire Marty Foster stepped between them, and the confrontation didn't escalate. Foster issued a warning to both teams.
Desmond popped out, and when he returned to the dugout he threw his helmet against the wall.
Stanton homered in the first inning, hit a two-run double in the fifth and scored three times. He came into the game ranked second in the majors in RBIs and now has 21. He's batting .429 with runners in scoring position.
Marcell Ozuna tied a career high with four hits, and Casey McGehee had three of the Marlins' 15 hits. They beat Washington for the first time in five tries this season, and for only the third time in 16 meetings since July.
Zach Walters hit his first career homer in the ninth for the Nationals, who totaled five hits.
Miami led 3-0 before Strasburg got an out. Christian Yelich and Ozuna singled, and Stanton followed with a homer to center field.
The Marlins added three more runs in the second. Adeiny Hechavarria led off with a triple on his 25th birthday, Ozuna singled home a run and Casey McGehee hit a two-out, two-run single.
Strasburg struck out five to increase his NL-leading total to 33, but his ERA rose to 6.00. TheMarlins added five runs in the fifth to make it 11-0.
NOTES: Nationals OF Denard Span (concussion) might be ready for a rehabilitation assignment by the end of the week, manager Matt Williams said. ... Nationals OF Nate McLouth returned to the lineup after sitting out two games because of a sore left knee. ... Ozuna was back in the lineup after missing one start with a bruised foot. ... Miami RHP Jose Fernandez tries to improve to 12-0 at home when he pitches Wednesday against Tanner Roark.
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