Miami 3 at Washington 5 - Recap

WASHINGTON -- Bryce Harper, who fell behind 0-2 in the count, recovered nicely and crushed a two-run homer in the seventh to break a 2-2 tie and the Washington Nationals beat the Miami Marlins 5-3 on Friday.

Harper, who entered the game with an on-base average of .441, walked his first two times to the plate and then singled in his third trip. Losing pitcher Kyle Barraclough (2-1) got ahead of him 0-2 but Harper smashed a slider into the right field seats after Anthony Rendon had led off the seventh with a walk.

It was the 11th homer of the year for Harper, who was ejected in the ninth inning on Tuesday and is waiting his appeal of a one-game suspension from Major League Baseball.

Stephen Drew of the Nationals hit a two-run pinch-hit homer in the sixth to tie the game at 2. The homer came on a 95 mile-per-sinker from Bryan Morris, who had just entered the game. Morris took over for starter Tom Koehler, who gave up one run and six hits with five walks and four strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.

The winning pitcher was Blake Treinen (3-1), who came on in the seventh. He gave up an RBI groundout in the eighth to Chris Johnson to make it 4-3 before retiring the side.

Washington's Chris Heisey hit his third pinch-hit homer of the season, a solo shot in the eighth off Dustin McGowan, to make it 5-3. It was the sixth pinch-hit homer of the year for the Nationals.

Felipe Rivero got the first out in the ninth and closer Jonathan Papelbon got the last two for his 10th save.

In the fifth Miami loaded the bases on three straight singles to start the frame. But the Marlins didn't score as lefty Oliver Perez got pinch-hitter Derek Dietrich to ground out into a double play to end the inning.

Washington starter Gio Gonzalez allowed six hits and two unearned runs in five innings, with seven strikeouts and two walks. Giancarlo Stanton and J.T. Realmuto had two hits for the Marlins. Washington (22-13) improved to 11-5 at home while the Marlins (18-16) slipped to 10-6 on the road.

The Nationals defense looked like Keystone Cops in the last of the fourth as the Marlins took the lead.

Daniel Murphy, the second baseman, botched a picture perfect double play ball off the bat of Chris Johnson, putting Marcell Ozuna on second and Johnson on first with no outs.

After Adeiny Hechavarria struck out, Miguel Rojas hit a slow roller to Murphy. The second baseman initially pivoted for a throw to second, then re-loaded and threw the ball past first baseman Ryan Zimmerman and pitcher Gonzalez, who was late covering, as Ozuna and Johnson scored to make it 2-0.

Koehler then struck out before J.T. Realmuto hit a one-hopper off the leg of Gonzalez to put runners on first and third. The Nationals, after a walk to Martin Prado, finally got out of the inning as Christian Yelich grounded out to Murphy with the bases loaded.

Koehler and the Marlins had flirted with their own danger in the bottom of the second but remained unscathed.

Koehler walked Jose Lobaton, the No. 8 hitter who was batting .176, with two outs. He then gave up a line double to left-center to pitcher Gonzalez, who entered the contest hitting .125. But a perfect replay begun by Marlins center fielder Ozuna nailed slow-footed catcher Lobaton at the plate for the last out of the inning.

The Nationals had their own fielding gem in the fourth as left fielder Jayson Werth jumped up against the wall to take extra bases away from Prado for the first out of the inning.

Gonzalez, from the Miami area, entered the game with an ERA of 2.19 and was 6-3 with an ERA of 2.38 in his first 10 starts against the Marlins. Koehler came into Friday with an ERA of 5.83 this year and was 4-7 with an ERA of 4.25 in 11 career starts against Washington.

NOTES: Marlins RHP Tom Koehler entered the game having allowed six career homers in 28 at-bats to Washington RF Bryce Harper. ... LHP Gio Gonzalez started for Washington on Friday against the Marlins, who entered the game 5-0 against left-handed starters this year. ... Washington 2B Daniel Murphy, after three hits in his last game Wednesday, entered Friday with a major-league-leading batting average of .409 and 18 multi-hit games this year, also the best mark in the majors. ... OF Victor Robles, a top Nationals prospect, was hitting .345 with an OPS of .927 through Thursday for the low Class A Hagerstown (Md.) Suns of the South Atlantic League. ... With his 20-strikeout, 3-2 win over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday, Washington RHP Max Scherzer and RHP John Lackey of the Chicago Cubs are the only active pitchers to beat all 30 teams.