Xavier Edwards stroked a go-ahead, two-run single in the fifth inning as the host Miami Marlins completed a three-game sweep with a 6-2 victory over the Washington Nationals.
Miami improved to 8-1 against Washington this season. While the Marlins are true National League wild-card contenders, the Nationals have lost 10 of their past 12 games.
The game featured a sensational catch by Nationals center fielder Jacob Young in the third inning. On a blast by Heriberto Hernandez, Young ran back and scaled the wall, right foot first and then left. Then while holding on to the chain-link fence with his right hand, Young made the grab and threw to first to double off Otto Lopez.
It was less theatrical, but Nationals left fielder Daylen Lile robbed Javier Sanoja of a homer in the sixth inning.
Marlins reliever Michael Petersen (3-3) got one out to earn the win. Nationals rookie starter Jackson Kent (0-2) took the loss, allowing three runs and four hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Miami opened the scoring in the first inning. Agustin Ramirez drew a walk that featured six foul balls and 11 total pitches. Ramirez then scored from first on Hernandez’s line-drive double down the left-field line.
Washington tied the score in the fourth. Lile hit a ground-rule double that rolled under the fence in right, and he scored on Dylan Crews’ two-bagger that sailed over the head of center fielder Esteury Ruiz.
The Nationals loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth, getting a walk and two hit-by-pitches. However, Petersen struck out Abimelec Ortiz swinging at a slider nearly in the dirt.
Miami took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth on a rally that started with none on and two outs. Edwards got the big hit – a bases-loaded, two-run single.
Washington cut its deficit to 3-2 in the sixth as Keibert Ruiz walked and scored from first on Jorbit Vivas’ two-out double off the wall. Marlins right fielder Griffin Conine crashed into that wall and fell to the ground in pursuit of that hit.
Miami extended its lead to 5-2 in the bottom of the sixth on pinch-hitter Joe Mack’s RBI double down the left-field line and Lopez’s sacrifice fly to shallow right field. Mack added an RBI groundout in the eighth.