MIAMI -- There’s one word manager Dave Martinez would use to describe his club this season: Relentless.

It can be seen in a multitude of ways so far this season, but perhaps no more than the Nationals' reactions to overcoming a seven-run deficit to defeat the Marlins, 12-9, on Sunday afternoon in Miami.

“I don’t think we blinked when we went down 7-0,” said outfielder Jacob Young. “It was just, ‘Let’s get a couple here, a couple there.’”

The rally -- the Nationals’ largest comeback on the road since April 28, 2015 -- secured the series win and put Washington in a position to sweep the four-game series. But it wouldn’t have been possible without one player in particular: Nick Senzel.

The designated hitter has had one of the toughest starts to a season possible. Senzel started the year on the injured list after fracturing his right thumb during pregame drills on Opening Day, then was sidelined with illness for two games (one of which he was available off the bench) just eight games after his return to play.

“He’s gone through a lot to begin the season, more than I can think of, of anyone I’ve known,” Young said.

“It felt good; it’s good to be back with the guys and trying to get into a groove,” Senzel said. “In-game, I think it’s hard to reflect a little bit, but I think the emotion comes out while it’s going on. I try my best to stay locked in and take it to the next at-bat, so it’s good to see some hard work starting to pay off a little bit.”

Like the club as a whole, Senzel has been relentless, and his hard work is paying off more than just a “little bit.” On Sunday, he continued a torrid stretch by crushing a pair of homers in back-to-back innings vs. the Marlins. It was Senzel’s first multihomer game since May 6, 2019.

“It feels really good any time you can hit one homer, let alone two in a game,” Senzel said. “It’s really exciting, and just to help us battle back a little bit, I think it makes it even more exciting. To help our team win, I think that’s the most important part. So I was just super happy today.”

“It’s awesome,” Martinez said. “For me it’s definitely gratifying, because toward the end of the spring, we got him in a good place. [Then] he got hurt, he came back, things got slow and then he got sick. And to see him bounce back now, it’s awesome. …

“It’s this group. I say all the time: They fight, they play hard, and they’re just relentless. They really are. I mean, they stick together -- it’s been a fun, fun group so far. … They’re hungry to win and you can see that, and there was no give up. We were down and we kept working good at-bats and hit some big home runs.”

Due to Senzel’s recent success against southpaws like Miami’s starter, Ryan Weathers, Martinez bumped the right-handed hitter up to No. 2 in the order for the first time this season. The skipper was also hoping the move would ignite more of Senzel’s overall hitting, outside of his power (he entered Sunday with a .200/.250/.500 slash line).

The move paid off big time for the club, even if it was in the form of more slugging.

After going 0-fer in his first two plate appearances, Senzel stepped to the plate in the fourth inning with one on and one out. After taking a four-seamer down and in for a called strike, he then crushed a changeup a Statcast-projected 404 feet (103.9 mph of the bat) to center field. It was the Nats’ third RBI hit in a row, and it capped a five-run inning that pulled Washington within two runs of Miami.

It was more of the same in the fifth inning. With the Nationals trailing 7-6 and two runners on base, Senzel crushed the fourth pitch of his at-bat 411 feet to left-center.

“Everyone was telling me I’m a home run hitter,” Senzel said with a smile. “I don’t feel like that. I just tried to take advantage of the mistakes they give me and stay aggressive.”

Young described the atmosphere in the dugout after Senzel’s second homer quite well: “It’s madness. It feels great -- you go down, 7-0, everyone’s kind of down a little bit just thinking about it. But once you grab that lead, it’s huge momentum. And it’s just awesome to see Nick so excited and everyone excited for him.”