Marlins 6, Nationals 1
MIAMI -- Jose Fernandez got another home win, and slumping Giancarlo Stanton overshadowed red-hot Bryce Harper as the Miami Marlins defeated the Washington Nationals 6-1 on Monday night at Marlins Park.
After five straight losses, it was the first home win of the season for the Marlins (4-7). The victory by Fernandez (1-1) was also the first this season by a Marlins starter.
Fernandez improved his career home record to 18-1, allowing three hits, four walks and one run while striking out nine in six innings.
Harper, who entered the game with homers in four straight games, matching a franchise record, was unable to go deep Monday. He went 0-for-2 with an RBI and a walk and is hitting .341 this season.
Washington, which leads the NL East, fell to 9-3. Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy, who started the day leading the majors in batting average, went 1-for-4. He is hitting .415.
Harper's counterpart, Stanton, went 2-for-3 with a homer, two RBIs, two runs scored and a walk. He entered the game hitting just .211 with six strikeouts in his past two games. But he busted out with his homer in the fifth and his RBI single in the seventh.
Washington's Tanner Roark (1-2) took the loss, allowing seven hits, two walks and five runs (four earned) in six innings.
Miami got to Roark quickly, scoring three runs in the first inning.
Leadoff man Dee Gordon singled, stole second, advanced to third on a balk and scored when Christian Yelich bounced a single past a drawn-in infield. After a walk to Stanton, Marcell Ozuna hit a 2-2 pitch for a two-out, two-run single to left-center.
Fernandez got in trouble in the second, walking Roark to load the bases with two outs. Fernandez then fell behind 2-0 to leadoff man Michael Taylor before striking him out on a 2-2 slider.
Miami made it 4-0 in the second inning, getting an RBI groundout by Martin Prado. The damage in the inning could have been more severe, but Harper raced back to steal what likely would have been a two-run triple by Gordon.
Fernandez was working on a no-hitter until Taylor hit a one-out double in the fifth. Taylor came around to score on Harper's sacrifice fly, cutting Miami's lead to 4-1.
Stanton then drilled his solo homer to right-center, hitting a 2-0 pitch from Roark for his third long ball of the season.
NOTES: Marlins RF Giancarlo Stanton and Nationals RF Bryce Harper are two of just five major-league players with at least 60 homers since 2014. ... Marlins hitting coach and seven-time NL MVP Barry Bonds was seen chatting with Harper prior to Monday's game. ... Through the first 11 games, Washington starters had a 1.87 ERA, best in the majors. ... There are three Nationals players from South Florida: LHP Gio Gonzalez (Hialeah); CF Michael Taylor (Fort Lauderdale) and OF Matt den Dekker (Fort Lauderdale). ... Nationals closer Jonathan Papelbon has struggled against his former team, the Phillies. In four games against the Phillies, he has a 12.27 ERA with two blown saves. In his first 24 games against the rest of the majors as a member of the Nationals, he has a 2.10 ERA and 12 saves in 13 chances.