Nationals pound Marlins 9-2 as Jackson Kent earns first major league win
By Brian Hradsky
The Washington Nationals finally broke through against the Miami Marlins on Friday night, riding a huge third inning and a breakout start from Jackson Kent to a 9-2 victory at Nationals Park.
Kent delivered the best outing of his young career, throwing seven innings of one-run baseball to earn his first major league victory. Washington backed him with a five-run third inning highlighted by a mammoth three-run homer from Brady House, then added four more runs in the seventh to turn the game into a rout.
The win also snapped Washington’s eight-game losing streak against Miami. The Nationals had scored only 15 runs total in their previous seven games against the Marlins before erupting for nine Friday.
Marlins strike first
Miami grabbed the early advantage in the second inning, but the lead did not last long.
The Nationals entered the bottom of the third trailing 1-0 and immediately took advantage of a sudden loss of command from Marlins starter Eury Pérez.
Pérez walked the first three Washington hitters of the inning on just 14 pitches. Chaos followed, and two runs eventually scored on a wild pitch sequence that flipped the game and put the Nationals ahead 2-1.
Then House delivered the biggest swing of the night.
House launches a 445-foot blast
With Washington already ahead, House crushed a three-run homer that traveled 445 feet and pushed the Nationals’ advantage to 5-1.
It was House’s 10th home run of the season and gave Kent plenty of breathing room.
The home run capped a five-run third inning in which Pérez completely lost the strike zone. The right-hander needed 41 pitches just to get through the inning and finished his night after only three frames. He allowed five earned runs while walking four and throwing 74 pitches.
For Washington, that inning represented exactly the kind of patience and damage the offense has too often lacked this season.
The Nationals waited Pérez out, took their walks and then made him pay when he came back over the plate.
Kent turns in career-best start
The story of the night, though, was Kent.
The rookie left-hander worked seven innings and allowed just one run on two hits while striking out three. He threw 106 pitches and completed five innings for the first time in his major league career.
Kent entered Friday still looking for his first big-league victory.
He left with one.
The 9-2 win improved Kent to 1-2 and gave Washington another encouraging look at one of its young arms. He consistently kept Miami from creating sustained pressure after the second inning and allowed the Nationals to avoid leaning heavily on the bullpen.
For a rebuilding club evaluating players for the future, outings like this matter much more than an individual August win.
Nationals explode again in seventh
Washington put the game away with another crooked number in the seventh.
Harry Ford started the damage by launching his third home run of the season over the left-center field wall, extending the Nationals’ advantage to 6-1.
Dylan Crews then doubled into the left-field corner to drive home two more runs. The hit also extended Crews’ streak of reaching base safely to eight consecutive games.
Daylen Lile added another run with a triple over the center fielder, his sixth triple of the season, making it 9-1.
By the end of the inning, what had been a competitive game early had become a blowout.
Washington finished with seven hits and committed no errors, while Miami managed only five hits.
Marlins offense never gets going
Miami’s only significant offensive damage came from Heriberto Hernández, who continued his success against Washington with another home run.
Hernández’s homer was his fifth in nine games against the Nationals this season.
Outside of that, Kent and the Washington bullpen kept the Marlins quiet.
Kent exited after seven innings before Max Kranick handled the final six outs. Miami added one run in the eighth but never threatened to make the game competitive again.
Washington’s pitching staff allowed just five hits over nine innings.
A needed response against Miami
The victory carried some extra satisfaction after Miami had dominated the season series.
Washington entered the night having lost eight consecutive games against the Marlins.
That included a three-game sweep in Miami from Aug. 21-23.
Friday finally changed the script.
Instead of playing from behind all night or watching another close game slip away, the Nationals jumped on Miami’s mistakes and kept adding on.
Washington improved to 64-73 with the victory, while Miami fell to 68-67.
The Nationals also got production from several young players who figure prominently into the organization’s future.
House homered.
Ford homered.
Crews drove in two.
Lile tripled home another run.
And Kent delivered seven excellent innings.
For a team still trying to determine which pieces can be part of the next competitive Nationals roster, that may have been the most encouraging part of the entire night.
MSB Take
This was exactly the kind of game Nationals fans should want to see over the final month of the season.
The standings are what they are, but Washington needs its young core to start showing tangible progress.
Friday night, that happened everywhere.
Jackson Kent earning his first major league win with seven innings of one-run baseball is the biggest story. Young starting pitching remains one of the most valuable commodities in baseball, and Kent gave the Nationals a reason to keep watching him closely.
Brady House blasting a 445-foot home run matters too. So does Harry Ford going deep. So does Dylan Crews continuing to reach base consistently.
Those are the players Washington needs to develop.
And instead of one prospect carrying the night, several contributed.
The Nationals also finally ended Miami’s recent dominance over them. After eight straight losses to the Marlins, Washington did not simply squeak out a win.
The Nationals hammered them.
For a young team, 9-2 with your prospects leading the way is about as encouraging as an August victory can get.
Final: Washington Nationals 9, Miami Marlins 2.
