Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Marlins come from behind to edge Nationals.
Derek Dietrich RBI triple caps big comeback
MIAMI — Derek Dietrich’s blast was hit hard enough and far enough to be gone in most parts of most ballparks, but in center field at Marlins Park, 410 feet bounces the wall.
And so Dietrich stopped at third base, clapped his hands and looked into the Miami Marlins’ dugout, where his teammates celebrated a sudden lead in the fifth inning. En route to a 7-6 win over the Washington Nationals, the Marlins erased an early six-run deficit, Dietrich’s stand-up triple the finishing touches on a comeback that matched the Marlins’ largest of the year.
It was a moment of personal triumph, too, for Dietrich, who by several modern metrics is having the worst year of his big league career, offering below-average production at the plate while spending most of the year filling in for oft-injured third baseman Martin Prado.
He began Tuesday with a .234/.311/.686 slash line and in recent weeks has faced plainly spoken criticism from manager Don Mattingly, who cites Dietrich’s lack of sticking with one offensive approach as a reason for his struggles.
For at least a night, though, Dietrich was the hero.
Prior to Dietrich’s gohead hit, which scored J.T. Realmuto from first, Marcell Ozuna launched a three-run homer to tie it.
Chris O’Grady needed 75 pitches to get through three innings, allowing six runs — all of them in the second inning and half of them on a three-run homer from the opposing pitcher, Washington ace Max Scherzer.
Scherzer’s homer, the first of his career, sailed deep to left field, but it turned into his last contribution on the night. He left abruptly in the bottom of the second inning, throwing one warm-up pitch and telling Nats manager Dusty Baker, “I can’t go.”
The Nationals said Scherzer was experiencing neck spasms after sleeping on it funny. He tossed a perfect 10-pitch first inning before exiting.
The Miami bullpen picked up O’Grady’s slack, with five relievers combined for six scoreless innings. They allowed four hits and one walk. Brad Ziegler, the newly installed closer, collected his first save of the year, stranding the potential tying run at third base.