Three in a row was too much to hope for as the Marlins rallied for two in the last of 8th to break a 3-3 tie and held on for a 5-4 win against the Nats.
Blake Treinen was unable to work around Cutter Dykstra’s error, which rendered both runs unearned though Treinen was dinged for three hits to take the loss. Treinen struck out two and walked none.
Doug Fister was strafed for six hits over his four innings of work and allowed two runs, no walks, and struck out one in his third spring outing.
Michael Taylor returned to the starting lineup and was 1-for-3 with a single and a stolen base while playing CF. The notable minor-leaguers to come off the bench included…
• Wilmer Difo, who subbed for Dan Uggla at 2B and was 0-for-1.
• Matt Skole, who homered in the 9th in place of Ryan Zimmerman at 1B.
• Dykstra was 0-for-1 in relief of Ian Stewart at 3B.
• Sandy Leon took over behind the plate for Jose Lobaton and went 0-for-1.
Prior to the game, RHP A.J. Cole was optioned to Syracuse as the Nats continue to make cuts in small drib and drabs, including the release of IF-OF Jeff Kobernus yesterday.
The Nats return to Viera tomorrow to host the Tigers. The game can be heard on MLB Radio and locally on 1580 AM.