AL East leaders the Toronto Blue Jays joined their western counterparts in suffering defeat as they were downed 4-3 by the Boston Red Sox, who scooped the three-game series 2-1 in the process.
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Miami had won five series in a row before the Nationals cranked out 13 hits Sunday.
Rookie left-hander Justin Nicolino (3-4) allowed seven runs in 52/3 innings for Miami, which lost the final three games of the four-game set. On Sunday, he allowed two runs – one earned – on six hits and a walk in his eighth outing since his coming off the DL from an oblique strain.
He’s now fanned 37 batters over his last three outings, a Nationals record since the franchise moved to Washington.
The San Diego Padres also reached double figure as they overcame the Colorado Rockies 10-4 with Matt Kemp, Jedd Gyorko, Yangervis Solarte and Cory Spangenberg all registering dingers. I just pitched my game.
“Obviously, it’s there”, Escobar said through an interpreter about the team’s big deficit.
Later in the sixth Nicolino gave up a sacrifice fly to to Wilson Ramos allowing Yunel Escobar to score. Later in the inning Escobar cleared the bases with his double to right-center to build the margin to 10-2.
Nicolino allowed seven hits – including Moore’s blast – while walking two and striking out three in his 10th career start. He started back toward third when the ball was hit, but it landed the grass in front of him and jumped back toward where the shortstop would normally be positioned and rolled into left field.
“Once he went on the Disabled List for the side that he had and we let his ankle finally heal, fully heal, he was the old Strasburg and the guy we had seen for the previous three years and he’s pitching extremely well right now”.
Harper belted his NL-best 41st homer Saturday in a 5-2 victory and is 11-for-23 with 10 RBIs during his torrid six-game stretch as Washington has pulled within seven games of the New York Mets in the NL East. The Nationals (77-71) play their next 11 contests against teams under.500 before ending the regular season with three against the Mets on the road.
Strasburg said fastball command was just a part of it.
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In the sixth inning Marcell Ozuna hit a solo homerun making the score 2-3. Washington will begin a series at home Monday as LHP Gio Gonzalez (11-7, 3.83) of the Nationals goes against Baltimore RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (11-9, 4.31) …
