Nationals outlast Marlins 5-4 in opener of doubleheader

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Nationals’ bullpen halted a Miami Marlins rally, retiring all seven batters it faced in a 5-4 victory on Saturday in the first game of a doubleheader.

Kyle Finnegan (1-0) struck out Jorge Alfaro to escape a two-out, bases-loaded jam he inherited from starter Max Scherzer in the fifth to earn his first major league win. Tanner Rainey pitched a 1-2-3 sixth, and Daniel Hudson earned his sixth save with a perfect seventh.

While Scherzer labored for much of his outing, Miami didn’t manage anything until Jonathan Villar’s RBI single in the fifth and Matt Joyce’s homer a batter later. Scherzer allowed the next four hitters to reach and was finally chased when Jesus Sanchez walked with the bases loaded.

Scherzer surrendered four runs while throwing 108 pitches in 4 2/3 innings. It was the third time in six starts the three-time Cy Young Award winner allowed at least four runs.

“I believe in tough spots in the game, even when the pitch count is above 100, I can excel in those situations,” Scherzer said. “Unfortunately, the past couple games I haven’t done that and I need to get better at that.”

Miami starter Daniel Castano (0-2) got only one out against four batters, allowing two runs. The Nationals increased the lead to 3-0 on Howie Kendrick’s sacrifice fly in the third.

The Marlins’ defensive sloppiness helped Washington score twice in the fourth. Kurt Suzuki and Josh Harrison opened the inning with consecutive singles, and Sanchez, a rookie, sailed a throw from right field well past third to allow Suzuki to score. Two batters later, Harrison scored when left fielder Corey Dickerson dropped Victor Robles’ fly ball.

The Nationals played as the home team in the regularly scheduled opener. The Marlins will serve as the...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Nationals-outlast-Marlins-5-4-in-opener-of-15507753.php