Nationals 5, Marlins 2
WASHINGTON - Right fielder Bryce Harper recorded a two-run homer and three RBIs and seldom-used first baseman Tyler Moore added a solo homer and double as the Washington Nationals beat the Miami Marlins 5-2 on Saturday.
Washington (77-71) pulled to within seven games of the first-place New York Mets in the National League East while the Marlins (64-85) fell to 28-46 on the road.
Jordan Zimmermann (13-8) allowed six hits and two runs with seven strikeouts and one walk in six innings. The pending free agent has not lost at home since June 17 and has won five straight decisions at Nationals Park.
Harper hit his 41st homer - a two-run shot to right - to give the Nationals some insurance at 5-2 in the seventh.
The Nationals scored three runs in the fifth to take the lead as Miami starter Brad Hand walked four batters in the inning.
Moore smashed a solo homer and later in the inning, Harper had a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded. Back-to-back walks to left fielder Jayson Werth and shortstop Ian Desmond made it 3-2.
Hand (4-7) fell to 0-8 in his career against Washington as he gave up three runs, four hits and six walks in 4 2/3 innings.
Miami grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first inning as left fielder Christian Yelich delivered an RBI double and first baseman Justin Bour produced an RBI single off Zimmermann, who managed to survive some early hard-hit outs.
Washington reliever Blake Treinen came on the eighth with no outs and two runners on and induced a double play grounder off the bat of center fielder Marcell Ozuna. Treinen struck out third baseman Derek Dietrich with a runner on third to end the threat.
Closer Jonathan Papelbon, who had blown his last two save chances, pitched the ninth for his 24th save - seven with Washington. He got a double play grounder to end the game with runners on first and third.
Bour, a product of nearby George Mason University, had three singles in four at-bats and Yelich, catcher J.T. Realmuto and shortstop Miguel Rojas had two hits for the Marlins.
NOTES: Washington RHP Stephen Strasburg (9-7, 3.98 ERA) will face Miami LHP Justin Nicolino (3-3, 3.81) in the series finale Sunday. ... Nationals OF Bryce Harper (.340 batting average) and Marlins 2B Dee Gordon (.333) entered Saturday as the top two hitters in the National League. Gordon had gotten at least one hit in his previous 10 games at Nationals Park, with an average of .341 during that stretch. ... It has been nearly one year since Washington RHP Jordan Zimmermann, the starter for the Nationals on Saturday, threw a no-hitter at Nationals Park against the Marlins -- on Sept. 28, 2014, in the regular-season finale. ... Miami LHP Brad Hand, the other Saturday starter, was 0-7 with an ERA of 7.97 in his previous 11 games, with nine starts, against Washington. ... Washington INF Yunel Escobar was fourth in the National League in hitting at .318.