Miami Marlins ace Jose Fernandez allowed three hits in a 1-0 victory over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday.
Fernandez went eight innings and struck out 12 in a phenomenal outing. The right-hander walked none and is now 16-8 on the season. Fernandez has a 2.88 E.R.A and has been dominant at Marlins Park. Until a one-out single in the eighth inning, Fernandez set down 21 batters in a row.
The Marlins are fighting for their playoff lives and this win kept those hopes alive. While Miami is running out of games, it remains in contention in the final two weeks of the season. The Marlins will likely only be able to afford one or two losses the rest of the way.
Giancarlo Stanton backed up Fernandez with a home run in the sixth inning. It was the second homer in two days for Stanton and his 27th of the season. Stanton who has 73 runs batted in this year also walked during the win.
Miami only had two hits besides Stanton's homer and both went for singles. Dee Gordon and Christian Yelich each singled and were stranded on base. Overall, the Marlins left five men on base.
David Phelps worked the ninth inning for his fourth save of the season. Due to a heavy workload, closer A.J. Ramos was given the game off.
Tom Koehler will start next for Miami as it looks for the sweep on Wednesday.
