The Washington Nationals have struggled to score runs all season. It was not a problem tonight against the Florida Marlins. The Nats won 9-6 and improved their record on the season to 34-51.
Collin Balester made his MLB debut as the starting pitcher in tonight’s game. Ballester went five innings and gave up only one run and one hit to pick up the victory. He walked three batters and struck out three as well. The only run he allowed came on a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning. Jon Rauch gave up two hits in the ninth inning but still picked up his 17th save of the season.
The Nationals got three hits each from Elijah Dukes and Felipe Lopez, including a Dukes solo home run. The big blow of the night came in the sixth inning when Ronnie Belliard crushed a grand slam. Belliard also added a double and drove in four runs while scoring a pair himself. Cristian Guzman, Belliard, and Paul Lo Duca each added two hits for Washington.
The Nats and Marlins will finish off their three game series tomorrow afternoon. Odalis Perez will start for the Nats. Game time is 12:10pm.