Marlins beat Nationals for 6th straight win, return to .500

By foxsports
Published

MIAMI (AP) -- Henderson Alvarez outdueled Stephen Strasburg and the surging Miami Marlins beat the Washington Nationals 3-0 Tuesday night for their sixth straight victory.

Giancarlo Stanton drove in two runs as the Marlins won for the ninth time in 10 games and evened their record at 53-53.

Alvarez (8-5) gave up three hits and issued a season-high four walks in seven innings. He escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the second, helped when third baseman Casey McGehee made a diving catch to rob Nate McLouth of extra bases.

Steve Cishek loaded the bases in the ninth before striking out Anthony Rendon to record his 27th save in 30 chances.

Strasburg (7-9) allowed one run and four hits in seven innings.

The Marlins got to Strasburg in the sixth when Stanton doubled to left to score a run. Stanton came into the game hitless in his last nine at-bats, striking out eight times.

Christian Yelich hit an RBI double in the eighth to give Miami a 2-0 lead and Stanton drove him in two batters later.

Miami's Jeff Baker had his career-best 11-game hitting streak snapped with an 0-for-3 night.

Bryce Harper had two of the Nationals' five hits.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Nationals: There is still no timetable for Ryan Zimmerman, who was put on the 15-day disabled list on July 23 with a pulled hamstring. "The first two weeks are key," Williams said. "So once it gets healed, it starts to mat down a little bit and then you can start doing some strengthening exercises and then you get a better idea of where he would be."

Also, plate umpire D.J. Reyburn took a pitch off his right wrist in the top of the seventh inning, delaying the game for nearly 5 minutes. In the ninth, Reyburn was struck in the right knee and play was momentarily halted.

ON DECK

Tanner Roark (10-6, 2.82) will start for the Nationals in Wednesday's series finale against Brad Hand (2-2, 4.19). Roark has allowed one run in seven innings in each of his three previous starts with a 3-0 record. Hand is coming off his best outing of the season, pitching 7 1-3 scoreless innings at Houston on July 25.