Playing the Florida Marlins does little for the Nationals’ sense of self-esteem. The two teams have played 105 times since Major League Baseball returned to the District in 2005. The Marlins have won 65 of those games.
This season the results have been no different. Florida improved to 11-5 against the Nats in 2010 with a 3-1 victory at Nationals Park on Friday night. It was the 10th time this season in those 16 meetings that the Marlins pitching staff has held Washington to three runs or less.
Recommended Stories
Starting pitcher Alex Sanabia has contributed his fair share to that offensive futility. The 22-year-old didn’t allow a run in 6 2/3 innings on just three hits and three walks as he improved to 2-1 against the Nats in three starts this season. Washington (60-81) has lost eight of its last nine games against Florida (71-69) and six of nine overall.
The Marlins bullpen did the rest. Jose Veras relieved Sanabia in the seventh inning with two outs and runners at first and second. He struck out pinch hitter Willie Harris. Reliever Leo Nunez gave up a single to Ryan Zimmerman in the eighth followed by an Adam Dunn ground-rule double. Roger Bernadina then drove Zimmerman home for Washington’s sole run of the contest. But Florida reliever Clay Hensley quashed the rally by getting Michael Morse to fly out to center.
“They’re good, professional hitters. And their pitching has done a good job against us all year,” said Nats manager Jim Riggleman. “They’re a very good ballclub and we’re just going to have to do a better job against them. They’re in our division. We play them a lot every year. So you’ve got to get to the point where you handle them better.”
The Marlins took an early lead off Nats starter John Lannan when Dan Uggla singled to center in the top of the first inning to drive in leadoff batter Emilio Bonifacio. Wes Helms followed with a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 advantage. But with runners at second and third Lannan struck out Cameron Maybin. He later escaped a first-and-second, one-out situation in the third inning thanks to a nicely turned 6-4-3 double play by shortstop Ian Desmond and second baseman Danny Espinosa.
Washington blew a chance to tie the game in the fifth inning. Sanabia walked Lannan with two outs to put runners at first and second. That brought Espinosa to the plate, but his fly ball deep to right died on the warning track to end the threat.
Neither team scored again until Brad Davis hit a solo home run off Lannan (7-7, 4.69 ERA) to lead off the seventh inning. Florida later loaded the bases in that frame before reliever Tyler Clippard got Helms to fly out to right. That kept the score at 3-0.
Lannan is battling an illness going around the Nats’ locker room. It kept catcher Ivan Rodriguez out of the lineup on Wednesday afternoon against the Mets and Lannan said he was struggling with a sore throat and stuffiness on the off day Thursday. But he still put together another solid effort with 6 2/3 innings of three-run ball. Lannan allowed seven hits and walked three and was helped by that third-inning double play. He also struck out six batters.
“I felt okay,” Lannan said. “I got us in trouble there in the first and [third innings]. Then I settled down pretty nicely. The [change-up] has been keeping me out of trouble.”
In the ninth inning, right fielder Justin Maxwell fielded a soft double by Uggla, fired in to the cutoff man, Espinosa, who gunned a throw home to Rodriguez to nail baserunner Logan Morrison trying to score from first base. The score remained 3-1, but Hensley retired the bottom of Washington’s order in the ninth to seal the win for the Marlins and earn his first career save.
But once again the story was Sanabia. The rookie will begin serving a five-game suspension starting on Saturday for his role in an on-field brawl between the two teams in Miami last week. But as a going-away present for his club Sanabia extended his mastery of the Nats. In 17 2/3 innings against Washington this season – three starts total – Sanabia has a 2.04 ERA. Overall, he is now 4-2 with a 3.95 ERA.
“[Sanabia] was in a zone,” said Nats rookie second baseman Danny Espinosa, who for a moment thought he’d hit a three-run homer off Sanabia with that fly ball to the wall in right in the fifth inning. “He changed speeds real well against us and did a good job.”
