Fish Wrap - Marlins 9 Nationals 6

For the second game in-a-row the Marlins needed late inning heroics to beat the Nationals.  In both games the Marlins starter wasn't at his best and the bullpen entered and shutdown the Nats to give the hitters time to get the club back in the game and to win the thing.  And yesterday, they needed all the time they could get and then some.

Josh Johnson had very rough first two innings missing with everything in his arsenal and when he did get something over the plate it was right down the middle.  The results: the Nationals scored 6 run in the first two innings.  To Johnson's credit he did more or less right the ship and pitched a total of six innings not allowing a run in final four.

Enter the bullpen, with Lindstrom and Nunez not available, it was time for some of the others out in the pen to step up.  And step up they did.  Combined they pitched 5 scoreless innings allowing only one hit.  Wait a minute you say.  Doesn't 6+5=11.  I said the hitters needed all the time they could get and then some.

Scott Olsen was being stingy allowing runs but the Nationals defense did chip in with a well timed error so the Fish were able to add an unearned run to their tally.

So the Marlins went into the ninth down three runs.  The ninth went like this:  Ross strikesout,  Amezaga PH single, steals second, Gload PH single, Amezaga to third, Gload on first, Helms strikesout.  Here we are: two outs, two runners on, down three and Jeremy Hermida walks toward the plate.  Hermida got a pitch he liked and hit a screaming line drive that cleared the fence by, oh, I don't know...an inch.  Home run -- game tied.

The two bullpens dominated the 10th, but in the 11th that would change, at least for the Nationals.  Gload walks, Helms safe on an error and then Hermida.  Hermida tattooed a ball over the center field fence to give the Marlins the lead for the first time in the game. 9-6.

K-Lero puts the Nats down in order in the bottom of the 11th -- Marlins Win!  The Open Thread goes crazy.

So all in all, just another routine Marlins win.