Miami scored four runs in the eighth off the beleaguered Washington Nationals bullpen, but a six-run Nats 10th was the answer in a 10-4 Washington win Saturday night.
Stephen Strasburg was the tough-luck guy in this one, giving up three hits in seven scoreless, before being lifted after 109 pitches.
Fernando Rodney was charged for four runs in a third of an inning in relief, the big blow being a three-run double from Austin Dean, before Hunter Strickland was able to put out the fire in the eighth.
A Brian Dozier RBI single broke the deadlock in the 10th, ahead of an RBI single by Adam Eaton, a bases-loaded walk to Juan Soto, and a two-run double by Kurt Suzuki that broke the game open.
The win for the Nationals (85-68), coupled with a dramatic 9-8 loss by the Chicago Cubs at home against St. Louis, puts Washington in a good spot in the NL wild-card race, a full four games up on the Cubs, who also trail Milwaukee (85-70) by three games for the second wild-card spot.
The magic number for Washington to clinch a wild-card spot is seven heading into Sunday.
Story by Chris Graham
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