House, Kent Power Nationals Past Marlins in 9-2 Rout
By Brian Hradsky | Maryland Sports Blog
The Washington Nationals defeated the Miami Marlins, 9-2, Friday night at Nationals Park behind a dominant outing from rookie Jackson Kent and a big night from the young Washington offense.
Kent delivered seven excellent innings to earn the first victory of his Major League career, while Brady House launched a three-run home run as Washington broke the game open with a five-run third inning.
Harry Ford also homered, while Dylan Crews and Daylen Lile helped turn the seventh inning into another offensive explosion.
Marlins Strike First
Miami took the first lead of the night in the second inning.
Xavier Edwards delivered an RBI single off Kent, putting the Marlins ahead 1-0. Washington prevented the inning from becoming more damaging when Edwards was later thrown out trying to score.
That ended up being about the only significant trouble Kent faced.
The Nationals rookie settled in from there and gave Washington exactly what it needed.
Nationals Explode in Third
Miami starter Eury Pérez appeared to be in control early, but everything unraveled in the bottom of the third.
Pérez struggled badly with his command, walking four batters during the inning. Washington capitalized on the mistakes.
The Nationals scored their first two runs on a wild pitch during Daylen Lile’s plate appearance, turning a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead.
Then House delivered the crushing blow.
The young third baseman launched a massive three-run home run, his 10th homer of the season, extending Washington’s advantage to 5-1. The blast traveled 445 feet according to MLB’s game coverage.
Pérez survived the inning but did not return for the fourth.
He finished after three innings, allowing five earned runs despite giving up only two hits. Pérez walked four, struck out five and needed 74 pitches, including 41 in the third inning alone.
Washington had taken complete control without needing a barrage of hits.
Kent Takes Over
With the Nationals holding the lead, Kent went to work.
The left-hander allowed only one run through seven innings, repeatedly inducing weak contact and preventing Miami from mounting another serious threat.
Kent completed seven innings while allowing three hits and four walks and striking out three. He surrendered just the one earned run.
It was easily the most important start of his young Major League career.
Kent entered the game still searching for his first big-league victory. By the time he walked off the mound, Washington had provided him with more than enough support.
The performance earned Kent his first career Major League win. MLB ranks him as the Nationals’ No. 9 prospect.
Nationals Put It Away in Seventh
Washington turned a comfortable lead into a rout in the bottom of the seventh.
Ford started the damage by launching a solo home run off Patrick Monteverde. It was Ford’s third homer of the season and pushed the lead to 6-1.
Crews followed later in the inning with a two-run double, bringing home two more runs and stretching the margin to 8-1.
Lile then ripped an RBI triple, scoring Crews and giving Washington a 9-1 advantage.
Lile has been one of Washington’s hottest hitters. Following the triple, MLB noted that he was batting .419 with a .486 on-base percentage and .839 slugging percentage over his previous eight games, with two doubles, a triple, three home runs and 10 RBIs during that stretch.
The four-run inning removed any remaining doubt about the outcome.
Marlins Add One Late
Miami managed one final run in the eighth when Heriberto Hernández hit a solo home run against Max Kranick.
It was Hernández’s 21st homer of the season and extended his on-base streak to 14 games.
Kranick did not allow the Marlins to get any closer.
He recorded the final six outs for Washington and closed out the 9-2 victory.
Young Nationals Make Their Mark
This was the kind of game Washington wants to see as its young roster continues developing.
House supplied the biggest swing with his three-run homer. Ford went deep. Crews drove in two runs. Lile continued his torrid stretch at the plate.
And Kent delivered seven innings in what became his first Major League victory.
Washington finished with seven hits but scored nine runs, taking full advantage of Miami’s pitching mistakes and adding four crucial insurance runs in the seventh.
The Marlins managed only five hits while the Nationals played error-free baseball.
It was also a significant breakthrough within the season series. Miami had beaten Washington eight consecutive times before Friday night’s result.
MSB Take
The final score is impressive, but the biggest story from this game is Jackson Kent.
For a rebuilding team, nights like this matter more than simply adding another victory to the standings.
Washington needs to find players who can become part of its next competitive roster, and Kent gave the Nationals another reason to believe he deserves an extended look.
Seven innings and one earned run against a divisional opponent is exactly what Washington wants from one of its young starters.
The offense was just as encouraging.
House, Crews, Ford and Lile all played major roles. Those are the names Nationals fans want to see producing as this organization tries to build something sustainable.
House’s 445-foot home run showed his enormous power. Crews drove in two. Ford went deep. Lile continued one of the hottest stretches of his season.
Washington did not simply beat Miami.
Its young players were the reason it happened.
For the Nationals, that may be the most encouraging part of all.
