Backups spark rally as Nats upend Marlins
JUPITER, Fla. -- The Nationals rallied with four runs in the seventh inning, claiming the lead on Jhonatan Solano's tiebreaking two-run single, and held off the Marlins, 8-5, Friday afternoon at Roger Dean Stadium.
Adam Eaton led the game off with a single, scored and went 1-for-3, but the Nationals didn't grab the lead for good until the seventh. Ian Sagdal and Kelvin Gutierrez, Washington's No. 18 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com, each had RBI singles. But the big hit was by Solano, on a confusing play, because he was called out for passing a teammate on the bases after the ball popped out of the glove of Destin Hood in right field.
Early on, the Marlins were in control, taking a 4-1 lead in the third on Marcell Ozuna's opposite-field home run, his first dinger of the spring. Brian Anderson had a double, RBI single and scored a run.
"I liked our at-bats today," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "Ozuna looked good. I thought we had a number of guys who looked good out there. The game just got out of hand late."
With Martin Prado scheduled to join the Venezuelan team next week for the World Baseball Classic, Anderson is likely to get plenty of innings with the big league club. Ranked by MLBPipeline.com as Miami's No. 3 prospect, Anderson doubled in the first and had an RBI single in a two-run second. Dee Gordon had a two-out, run-scoring double in the second, and he scored on Anderson's second hit of the day.
Washington struck quickly in the first, collecting three straight hits off Justin Nicolino, and scoring on Adam Lind's RBI single. Eaton singled to lead things off and Stephen Drew doubled.
Shortly before the first pitch, Nationals shortstop Emmanuel Burriss was scratched due to right shoulder soreness.
On an overcast and windy day, Giancarlo Stanton crushed a ball deep to left field. But it was held up and caught for an out.
"I thought that was way out," Mattingly said. "That's probably over the building. But Mother Nature won that one."
Nationals Up Next: The Nationals return to Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter on Saturday for a 1:05 p.m. ET meeting with the Cardinals on MLB.TV. Left-hander Giovany Gonzalez will make the start for Washington. Right-hander Lance Lynn will take the mound for St. Louis.
Marlins Up Next: Right-hander Severino Gonzalez, who is on the Marlins' 40-man roster, will start Saturday at 1:05 p.m. ET against the Braves in Lake Buena Vista on Gameday Audio. Gonzalez is projected to open the season in Triple-A New Orleans' system. Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey will start for Atlanta. Prado is among the regulars scheduled to be on the trip.
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