The Miami Marlins ended a four-game losing streak with their 6-1 victory over the Washington Nationals on Monday.
Jose Fernandez started the game for Miami and earned his first win of the season. Fernandez struck out nine, walked three and allowed four hits along the way. Miami's ace allowed only one run in six innings and now has a 3.78 E.R.A on the year.
If not for a high pitch count, it is likely Fernandez would have stayed in for at least one more inning. However due to his large total of walks and strikeouts, it took Fernandez 103 pitches to get through his six innings. Fernandez found himself in trouble pitch count wise early on and was never able to put himself in a position for a long outing.
Bryan Morris, David Phelps and Kyle Barraclough combined for three innings of scoreless relief to close out the win.
Giancarlo Stanton busted out of a slump with a two-hit day. One of those hits was a home run to right-center that barely cleared the new wall. Stanton's third home run of the season extended Miami's lead at the time. Stanton would have two runs batted in during the game and also scored twice.
The Marlins still had difficulty in picking up hits with runners in scoring position. Despite the relatively easy win, Miami was 3-13 with RISP and missed chances to extend the lead.
Miami will look for a second win in a row when it sends Adam Conley to the mound on Tuesday against the Nationals.
