Dane Myers had three hits including a home run and the visiting Miami Marlins beat the Washington Nationals 3-1 Sunday to complete the three-game sweep.
Nick Fortes added three hits for Miami, which completed its first three-game sweep of the season and won three in row overall for the first time since April 20-22.
Marlins starter Eury Perez, in his second start since his return from Tommy John surgery, gave up one run on four hits with three walks and no strikeouts. Lake Bachar (3-0) pitched two scoreless innings and Freddy Tarnok worked the ninth for his first save.
Washington went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position as its offensive struggles continued. The Nationals have lost eight straight and 11 of 13 and are a season-worst 11 games under .500.
Washington starter MacKenzie Gore (3-6) allowed two runs on eight hits over six innings. The NL strikeout leader fanned five.
The loss came one day after manager Dave Martinez absolved his coaches from any blame for the team’s recent struggles, thereby appearing to put the onus on his players.
Sunday morning Martinez said that was not the case. He also moved leadoff hitter CJ Abrams to the number three spot in the batting order behind Alex Call and James Wood. Abrams went 1-for-3, Call 1-for-4 with a walk and Wood 0-for-2 with two walks.
The Marlins took a 1-0 lead against Gore in the first. Agustin Ramirez singled with one out, went to third when Otto Lopez singled and scored on Eric Wagaman’s sacrifice fly.
Martinez’s lineup switch paid immediate dividends in the first when Call led off with a walk, went to third on a double by Abrams, and scored on a ground out.
Myers made it 2-1 when he homered leading off the second.
Call singled and Wood walked to open the third but Perez retired the next three batters.
With one out in the fifth, Abrams singled and went to third on Luis Garcia, Jr.’s single but Josh bell grounded into a double play.
In the Miami seventh, Fortes and Xavier Edwards opened with bunt singles and Fortas later scored on a sacrifice fly by Wagaman to make it 3-1.
–Field Level Media
