The Washington Nationals have been a worse than average slugging team this season, but that’s started to change in late August.
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The question is whether or not it’s happening in time.
The Nationals, who trail the New York Mets by 5 1/2 games in the NL East, have won five of seven overall and 13 of the last 20 meetings with Miami.
Strasburg said he has a “little ball” in his back and doesn’t know what it is.
Strasburg had allowed just five runs in his previous four starts with 32 strikeouts and three walks in 26 innings. 325 with three homers in 10 games as the leadoff hitter. The Nationals are eight games under.
“It is frustrating to give up four runs”, Scherzer said.
Doug Fister (5-7) pitched two scoreless innings in relief.
Washington made it 2-0 when Anthony Rendon’s two-out single scored Danny Espinosa in the third.
The Fish did what they could to get the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but closer Jonathan Papelbon shut the door for his 22nd save of the year. The big first baseman launched a three-run home run with one out against Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg to give the Marlins the early lead.
Marlins: LHP Carter Capps (elbow strain) will throw a bullpen session early next week, manager Dan Jennings said. “As much as they are going to get to face off down the stretch here with interdivision play, it’s going to be fun”.
“His velocity was down a little bit”, Jayson Werth noticed, watching from left field.
Robinson and Desmond connected off Koehler in the sixth. He left that game after three innings and went to a chiropractor later that day and had the problem fixed.
Along with Dee Gordon, Koehler was the only other Marlin to register two hits, and even that note turned sour when he was thrown out at home trying to score on a pitch that got away from catcher Wilson Ramos.
Dietrich homered into the second deck in right to open the fourth.
With his double Sunday, Suzuki has 2,924 Major League hits, all coming after he turned 27. He moved ahead of Sam Rice and now trails only Pete Rose (3,353) for most hits after reaching 27, according to STATS. 364 at Nationals Park.
Michael A. Taylor and Yunel Escobar are out of the Nationals lineup again. INF Yunel Escobar (right hand) missed his third straight game.
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Rangers 4, Orioles 1 – Cole Hamels delivered his best performance yet for host Texas, striking out 10 in eight innings during a 4-1 win over Baltimore. Strasburg yielded two more singles in the frame before exiting with his shortest outing since July 4, when the injured oblique ended his start against the Giants after just 3 2/3 innings.
