Field Level Media
Jul 3, 2019
Stephen Strasburg pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing only two hits, with a season-high 14 strikeouts, and Brian Dozier and Matt Adams hit homers as the Washington Nationals beat the visiting Miami Marlins 3-1 on Wednesday.
Strasburg (10-4) had the immaculate inning for the first time in his career when he fanned all three batters on just nine pitches in the top of the fourth inning. Strasburg has won his last 11 decisions against the Marlins and is 20-7 in his career against Miami.
Reliever Fernando Rodney came on for Strasburg with one out and two on the eighth and eventually induced a double-play grounder off the bat of Harold Ramirez to end the inning. Closer Sean Doolittle pitched the ninth for his 19th save even though he gave up a run when he hit Cesar Puello with the bases loaded.
Nationals second baseman Dozier blasted a two-run homer in the sixth inning over the bullpen in left for a 2-0 lead off Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara (4-8). Adams added an insurance run with a homer off lefty reliever Wei-Yin Chen in the eighth to make it 3-0.
It was the 17th game in a row the Nationals went deep to set a Montreal/Washington franchise record.
The Nationals have won seven of the last eight and are 25-10 since May 24 -- the best mark in the majors over that span.
It was the 44th time in Strasburg's career that he fanned at least 10 batters in a game. He struck out 15 in his first major league game.
Alcantara (4-8), who has never beaten the Nationals in five decisions, got the start and went 5 2/3 innings while allowing two runs on four hits with five strikeouts. He gave up a one-out single to Juan Soto in the sixth and then struck out Adams. That brought up Dozier, who smashed a hanging off-speed pitch on an 0-2 count for his homer.
--Field Level Media