Turner's 3 RBIs lead Nationals over Marlins 10-3
MIAMI -- Trea Turner was thinking cycle.
Turner homered and hit a tiebreaking, two-run triple in the seventh inning that led the Washington Nationals over the Miami Marlins 10-3 on Thursday night.
He had singled in the first. Needing a double to complete a cycle, he grounded out in the eighth and hit into a forceout in the ninth.
"Any time you get a homer and a triple in the same game and knock the two hard ones out, I think that thought comes into your head," Turner said. "I felt I got some good pitches to hit, but I think that's why it's so hard to do, because you can three of them, but it's hard to get that fourth sometimes."
Juan Soto also homered and Matt Wieters added a two-run double for the Nationals, who trailed 3-0 before rallying. Washington had nine extra-base hits in the opener of a four-game series.
"I think we did a good job of getting in good hitters' counts and make them come to us," said Ryan Zimmerman, who had an RBI double. "I think so much about this league is swinging at strikes and if you can lay off close pitches that swing the count into your favor, you're kind of in the driver's seat."
Tommy Milone made his season debut for the Nationals, allowing three runs and eight hits in five innings with six strikeouts and no walks.
"I told myself I needed to keep the team in the game, and I was able to battle through the last four innings and then eventually the bats came alive," Milone said.
Justin Miller (6-1) followed with a perfect sixth.
It was the 15th win for the Nationals in their last 16 games against the Marlins.
"I think there's always a club that seems you don't match as well with," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said.
Miami took a 3-0 lead in the first when J.T. Realmuto drove in a run with the first of his two doubles, Justin Bour hit a sacrifice fly and Cameron Maybin had a run-scoring single.
"Just the first inning coming up for the first time it was a little bit of anxious or nervous, I don't know what you want to call it, but I settled down after that," Milone said.
Turner and Soto homered in the fourth, and Ryan Zimmerman tied the score in the sixth with a two-out RBI double off Dan Straily.
"All the runs they hit today were executed pitches," Straily said.
Adam Conley (3-2) relieved to start the seventh and walked Wilmer Difo leading off, and pinch-hitter Michael A. Taylor singled. Turner hit an opposite-field triple over Brian Anderson and off the wall in the right-field corner for a 5-3 lead, then scored on Bryce Harper's double.
"I go back and look at the tape of the location of some of those pitches and for the most part I'm throwing those pitches where I want to throw them," Conley said.
After twice hitting inning-ending grounders with the bases loaded, Wieters came up with the bases full again in the ninth and hit a two-run double. Difo added a run-scoring triple and scored on Taylor's double.
"It was a really good comeback win and see our offense hit the ball like that and score that many points after being down 3-0 in the first inning was really, really good," Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. "We've got to continue doing what we're doing."
RARE COMPANY
Soto tied Ed Kranepool for the seventh-most home runs as a teenager in major league history. The 19-year old is one of only nine players with at least 10 big league homers in their teenage years.
CRUSHING
Realmuto is hitting .415 (22 of 53) with six doubles, one triple, one home run, and eight RBI in his last 12 games against the Nationals.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Nationals: RHP Stephen Strasburg (cervical nerve impingement) was placed on the 10-day DL retroactive to Sunday.
Marlins: RHP Tayron Guerrero (back) is expected to be reinstated from the DL this weekend.
UP NEXT
Nationals: RHP Max Scherzer (13-5, 2.43 ERA) will start the second game of the series Friday night. Scherzer has pitched at least six innings in 18 consecutive starts dating to April 9.
Marlins: RHP Pablo Lopez (2-1, 5.09) will be making his second start against the Nationals after allowing five runs in five innings on July 5.
---
More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
Series tied 2-2
Game Information
- Umpires:
- Home Plate Umpire - Angel Hernandez
- First Base Umpire - Chris Segal
- Second Base Umpire - Tim Timmons
- Third Base Umpire - Mike Muchlinski
2024 National League East Standings
Team | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Philadelphia | 95 | 67 | .586 | - | W1 |
Atlanta | 89 | 73 | .549 | 6 | W1 |
New York | 89 | 73 | .549 | 6 | L1 |
Washington | 71 | 91 | .438 | 24 | L1 |
Miami | 62 | 100 | .383 | 33 | W4 |