Ozuna's Walk-Off Single Lifts Marlins Over Nationals 8-7
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MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) — It was the tale of two games for the Miami Marlins on Monday night.
Marcell Ozuna singled home the winning run with two outs in the ninth inning, and the Marlins overcame an early six-run deficit to beat the Washington Nationals 8-7.
Miami slugger Justin Bour tied the game at 6 in the third inning with a grand slam, his 18th homer. Giancarlo Stanton also hit his 18th of the season to make it 7-all in the seventh.
Bryce Harper hit his 18th homer for Washington. Anthony Rendon also went deep before leaving in the fifth inning with a neck stinger he sustained diving for a grounder. He is day to day
Enny Romero (2-3) retired his first two batters in the ninth but walked Dee Gordon on four pitches. Gordon stole second and went to third on a sharp infield single by Stanton before Christian Yelich walked on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases.
Ozuna then hit a 96 mph fastball on an 0-2 count to the warning track in left-center to trigger a celebration by the Marlins, who lost to Atlanta on walk-off hits by Brandon Phillips on Saturday and Sunday.
Washington's Tanner Roark squandered a 6-0 lead by giving up six runs in the third and failed to make it through the inning. The right-hander has an ERA of 7.94 in his past three starts.
A.J. Ramos (2-3), the Marlins' sixth pitcher, worked around a leadoff walk in a scoreless ninth. Miami won for the 11th time in its past 13 home games.
Four consecutive Marlins reached with two outs in the third on an infield single, two walks and Bour's third career slam.
Nationals center fielder Michael A. Taylor had a two-run single, threw out two runners on the bases and robbed the Marlins of a run with a running, backhand catch on the warning track.
Miami left-hander Justin Nicolino lasted only three innings in his return from a bruised left index finger. Pitching for the first time since May 30, he allowed six runs, three earned.
HARPER'S HOMER
Harper was slow to realize he had homered in the first inning. His line drive barely cleared the right-field fence and caromed back onto the field, and Harper took a big turn before returning to first base, thinking he had settled for a long single. Only then did he realize the umpires were signaling the hit was a home run.
The homer was Harper's second against a left-hander this year. He extended his hitting streak to 12 games.
ROSTER MOVE
Before the game, the Marlins optioned RHP Drew Steckenrider to Triple-A New Orleans so they could reinstate Nicolino from the DL.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Nationals: OF Jayson Werth (bruised foot) has yet to begin baseball activities, and there's no timetable for his return, manager Dusty Baker said.
Marlins: 3B Martin Prado (hamstring) and SS Adeiny Hechavarria (oblique) have had two games rained out since beginning minor league rehab assignments, delaying their return to the majors. Both are expected to play several more games before rejoining the Marlins.
UP NEXT
Nationals LHP Gio Gonzalez (6-1, 2.89 ERA) is scheduled to start Tuesday against RHP Edinson Volquez (3-7, 3.72).
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
