Washington Nationals sluggers power comeback win

The Nationals rallied to overcome a 4-0 deficit to fry the fish

The Washington Nationals showed off some major resilience in their 7-4 win over the Marlins. Nobody was more resilient than the ill Nathaniel Lowe who was scratched from the lineup but got a massive bases clearing double to give the Nats a lead they would not surrender.

However, to start the game it was a pitchers duel between Mitchell Parker and Edward Cabrera. Each starter put zeros on the board for the first four innings. Neither lineup looked comfortable against the opposition starter.

However, after Cabrera put up another zero in the fifth, Parker would falter. After catcher Liam Hicks was hit to start the inning, the Marlins would take advantage of Parker’s fielding deficiencies. The Fish dropped down two straight bunts, with one being a hit and the other being a sacrifice where Parker made a throwing error to put the batter on first.

That meant the bases were loaded with nobody out. The Marlins underrated shortstop Xavier Edwards drove in two with an RBI base hit. Then two batters later, Kyle Stowers drove home two more on a double.

It was 4-0 Marlins and it looked like the so called easy road trip would start off on the wrong foot. However, Josh Bell would keep the Nats in the fight in the top of the sixth with a big two run homer. While Bell is only hitting .175, his OPS is over .700 which is solid for a notoriously slow starter.

This kept the Nats in shouting distance. After Parker put up a zero in the sixth and Lucas Sims kept the Marlins scoreless in the seventh, the stage was set for a comeback.

Keibert Ruiz started the eighth with his second walk of the day, a rare feat for the young catcher. Then Luis Garcia Jr. singled. Following a Josh Bell flyout and an Alex Call walk the stage was set for a surprising hero.

When Nathaniel Lowe was scratched from the lineup with an illness, I assumed we would not see him today. However, I guess the moment was just too big for him to pass up taking a chance. Pinch hitting for Paul DeJong, Lowe put together a wonderful at bat. He was spoiling the best pitches Anthony Bender had to offer with two strikes. Then on the 10th pitch of the at bat Lowe drove a 98 MPH sinker down the left field line to clear the bases and make it 5-4 Nats.

The sick Lowe was immediately pinch run for, but a moment like this is going to make him a fan favorite in DC. Stepping up in the biggest moment of the game when you are sick takes some major mental fortitude.

After Jose A Ferrer worked himself out of a jam in the eight, the Nats were looking for insurance runs in the 9th. They got them right away when James Wood hit a jaw dropping opposite field home run.

Miami has a very big ballpark, so to see a left handed batter go opposite field is rare. It was a unicorn of a home run for a unicorn of a player.

The Nats would add another insurance run after Josh Bell rumbled all the way from first on an Alex Call triple. It was a great game all around for Bell. He hit the home run, but also made a few nice plays defensively in his first start of the season at first base. The big man also ran the bases well on that Call triple.

It was another big day for Alex Call, who just can’t be stopped at the moment. The red hot outfielder went 2-3 with two walks to bring his average to .435 and his on base percentage to .531.

Kyle Finnegan would close the door to give the Nats their fifth victory in six games after starting out 1-6. Today, the Nats have a chance to get back to .500 which would be a big achievement after their start. This last week has been a super exciting one for Nationals baseball and long may it continue.