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Marlins jump all over Strasburg
It's fair to say that nobody saw this coming. Strasburg, who had been outstanding all season up until this point, got lit up by the Marlins lineup. It all got started with a massive Giancarlo Stanton three-run homer to center field in the first inning. Stanton absolutely demolished a 2-1 changeup, putting the Marlins on the board. The Marlins added runs, thanks to timely hitting, throughout the rest of the game. Overall, no matter how you look at it, kicking Strasburg out after just four innings is an impressive feat.
As user dcfish pointed out in the game thread, Strasburg has really struggled at Marlins Park over his career, allowing 22 earned runs in 23 innings pitched. I have no explanation for this, but I'm perfectly fine with keeping it that way. If the Marlins can continue to find ways get into Strasburg's head, his starts against this team will become a whole lot more watchable.
Koehler Spins Seven Scoreless Innings
Tom Koehler was fantastic on Tuesday in his third start of the season. He worked his way through seven innings against a tough lineup. From getting Bryce Harper to ground into a double play at the start of the game to being able to recover from the Ian Desmond kerfuffle in the fourth, Koehler was on top of his game. Koehler generated nine groundouts from the Nationals, which helped make up for his five walks. If I was being critical I would look to Koehler's lack of strikeouts and five walks as a cause for concern, but seven shutout innings is what it is.
Benches Clear
In the top of the fourth, with the Marlins leading 6-0, Marlins catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Nationals infielder Ian Desmond got into an argument at home plate. A Koehler pitch had just backed Desmond off the plate and he was clearly upset and overreacting. Saltalamacchia stood up for himself and wouldn't back down, which I actually saw as a form of leadership. Luckily, nothing happened between the two. The benches cleared and although no punches were ever thrown, it was a tense situation that shadowed over a great Marlins win.