The Washington Nationals completed a three-game sweep against the Miami Marlins with a 3-1 victory on Sunday afternoon. The recent defeat drops Miami’s record to 11-16 for the 2021-22 season.
Pitching Battle
Three-time Cy Young award winner Max Scherzer pitched a complete game, while not giving up the Marlins lone run until the 9th inning. It was the 12th career complete game for Scherzer, who got a loud applause from the approximately 8,500 fans at Nationals Park. The 36-year-old elected to skip the post-game press conference to join his wife Erica in the hospital as the couple welcomed their third child.
Meanwhile, second-year pitcher Trevor Rogers pitched five innings, giving up four hits and three runs. While Washington’s production at the plate was limited, 36-year-old Ryan Zimmerman capitalized with a three-run home run. Zimmerman was the Nationals first-ever draft pick, and is in his 17th season with the team.
Nationals Capitalized on Home Run
While Washington was relatively quiet besides Zimmerman’s home run, catcher Yan Lopez and outfielder Victor Robles each had doubles.
The 2019 World Series champs also tallied base hits from Starlin Castro, Josh Harrison, and Trae Turner. The victory pushed Washington to 1st place in the NL East, with a 12-12 record.
Meanwhile, the Marlins fell victim to Max Scherzer. Miami totaled just five hits on the day, with the team’s single run coming from a solo run home run by Isan Diaz. 21-year-old Jose Devers also got his first ever MLB hit.
Injury Bug
The Marlins were without a great chunk of their team on Sunday. Miami is still awaiting the return of Miguel Rojas, Jazz Chisholm, and Brian Anderson among others. The team is expecting Rojas and Chisholm to return within a week. However, matters were worse on Sunday, as Miami decided to give Adam Duvall and Jesus Aguilar the day off.
Next Up
Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara is expected to make his fourth start of the season on Tuesday, May 4th. Alcantara earned a win over the Milwaukee Brewers in his most recent start. He will face off against the Arizona Diamondbacks.