Leadoff batter Xavier Edwards went 3-for-5 with a homer, three runs scored and three RBIs as the host Miami Marlins rallied to defeat the Washington Nationals 8-3 on Wednesday night.
Rookie Jakob Marsee also starred for Miami (67-79), going 4-for-5.
Washington (60-85) had beaten Miami five straight times, but the Marlins prevailed with the help of a four-run sixth inning.
Nationals starter Jake Irwin (8-12) took the loss, allowing five hits, no walks, four runs, three earned, in five-plus innings. He and Nationals interim manager Miguel Cairo were ejected in that critical sixth inning following a disputed tag play.
Eury Perez escaped with a no-decision, allowing seven hits, no walks and three runs in 5 2/3 innings. It was a bounce-back effort for Perez, who had pitched to an 8.53 ERA over his past six starts. Prior to that, he had posted a 2.70 ERA in his first 10 starts.
Washington opened the scoring in the third inning as Brady House doubled and scored on Robert Hassell III’s single.
The Nationals increased their lead to 3-0 in the sixth. With two outs and none on, Josh Bell singled and scored on rookie Daylen Lile’s triple down the right-field line. It was Lile’s ninth triple of the season as it gave right fielder Joey Wiemer a tricky carom off the wall. Luis Garcia Jr. then added an RBI single.
But Miami took its first lead in the third game of this series in the bottom of the sixth.
The rally started when shortstop CJ Abrams was charged with a fielding error on a 105-mph grounder hit by Maximo Acosta. It was Abrams’ 18th fielding error of the season.
Edwards followed with a single, and Marsee made it 3-1 on his RBI hit. Miami got a run closer on Otto Lopez’s fielder’s choice, which included second baseman Garcia missing a tag on Marsee on that disputed play.
The rally was capped by consecutive pinch-hit RBI singles from Agustin Ramirez and Eric Wagaman.
Victor Mesa Jr. then nearly slugged a three-run homer as his 389-foot drive was caught at the right-field wall by Dylan Crews. Mesa, a rookie, was so convinced the ball was a homer that he pounded his chest twice after contact.
Miami extended its lead to 5-3 in the seventh on Lopez’s RBI single, although the Marlins stranded three runners.
Edwards’ homer in the eighth made it 8-3.
