Max Scherzer was victimized by the long ball, giving up two homers, and the Miami Marlins held on for a 4-3 win over the Washington Nationals on Friday at Nationals Park.
Martin Prado (7) and Marcell Ozuna (7) each went deep on Scherzer (11-11, 2.84 ERA), who took the loss after giving up four runs on six hits in seven innings of work.
Scherzer, who signed a seven-year, $210 million free-agent contract to join the Nats and take over as the staff ace before the 2015 season, is 1-4 with a 5.09 ERA in eight starts since the All-Star break.
Ian Desmond (16) and Wilson Ramos (12) each homered for the Nationals (64-63), who fell to 16-24 since the All-Star break with the loss.
The New York Mets (71-57) lost 6-4 in Boston on Friday, so the Nats remain six and a half games back in the National League East.