Jazz Chisholm Jr., Braxton Garrett lead way in Marlins’ series-opening win over Nationals
When the Miami Marlins faced Washington Nationals starting pitcher Joan Adon not even a week ago, they failed to get anything going offensively.
On Thursday? The Marlins’ offense wasted little time attacking Adon and getting instant results.
Miami peppered Adon for five runs on nine hits, a walk and a pair of hit by pitches and chased him after just five innings in a 6-1 win over the Nationals to begin a four-game series at Nationals Park.
The win pushes Miami back to an even .500 record, 67-67, and has the Marlins within two-and-a-half games of the National League’s third and final wild card spot as the calendar flips to September.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. punctuated Miami’s performance against Adon with a three-run home run to right field, 376-foot shot that went into the Nationals’ bullpen. Bryan De La Cruz opened scoring in the first with a two-out double to left after Luis Arraez and Josh Bell led off the game with back-to-back singles. Miami scored a second run in the fourth when Arraez hit into a double play.
Jake Burger capped scoring with a solo home run in the ninth against Nationals reliever Joe La Sorsa.
Every Marlins starting position player safely reached base at least once. Josh Bell had three hits. Arraez, Chisholm and Garrett Hampson each had two.
It was a much improved performance than last time out against Adon, when he held the Marlins scoreless for six innings at loanDepot park in an eventual 7-4 Nationals win.
It was also more than enough run support to back a stellar outing from Braxton Garrett, who needed just 73 pitches to get through six innings against the Nationals (62-73). Garrett gave up just one run — a fifth-inning sacrifice fly — and held Washington to three hits. JT Chargois, Steven Okert and A.J. Puk pitched the final three innings out of the bullpen.
And it was the type of performance Miami hopes to build on as it goes down the home stretch needing to make up ground as it eyes a postseason berth. The Marlins have 28 games remaining to leapfrog at least three teams in order to get into a playoff spot, a position they put themselves with their second-half struggles.
But as the Marlins attempt to climb out of the hole they dug themselves and stay in the thick of the playoff race, manager Skip Schumaker has continued to stress the same line: Win today.
“You can’t think ‘We have to get on a run. We have to go on a 10-game winning streak,’” Schumaker said pregame Thursday. “You do that, and and the details get lost today. The most important part is to win this game.”
They did so on Thursday.
Now, they’ll try to do it again on Friday.
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