9th Inning Comeback Helps Marlins to Wild Win

The third game of a four-game series Sunday between the Miami Marlins and Washington Nationals began as a pitchers’ duel between right-hander Janson Junk and left-hander Andrew Alvarez.

In the end, the Marlins (69-68), who were two outs away from losing the first three games of the series, scored six runs in the ninth inning to stun the Nationals (65-74) and win 6-2 at Nationals Park.

“I mean, feel like we always battle,” Marlins center fielder Jakob Marsee told Marlins Radio after the win.

The first two runners reached safely against reliever Max Kranick, who was trying to finish what Alvarez did for six innings and Clayton Beeter did for two: keep Miami’s offense off the scoreboard.

After Leo Jiménez walked to load the bases with one out, reliever Tom Cosgrove replaced Kranick.

The Marlins took full advantage from there.

Jakob Marsee was hit by a pitch, plating Esteury Ruiz to cut Washington's lead to 2-1. 

Joe Mack’s sacrifice fly to center scored Griffin Conine to tie the game at 2-2.

On Andrew Pinckney’s throw back to the infield, the ball landed in the Marlins’ dugout, allowing Jiménez to score and giving Miami a 3-2 lead that seemed improbable coming into the frame.

Miami added insurance when Marsee stole home on a double steal, increasing the club’s lead to 4-2, before Otto Lopez hit his 10th home run into the Miami bullpen to put the finishing touches on a wild afternoon.

Washington scored first in the fifth inning on a two-out RBI double by former Marlins prospect Nasim Nuñez, giving the Nationals a 1-0 lead off Junk.

It has been a crazy seven days for Junk.

First, he started against these same Nationals on Aug. 23 at loanDepot park, then came in as a reliever in the eighth inning Wednesday in the series finale against the Boston Red Sox in Miami because the Marlins were down several relievers after playing 11 innings the night before.

Washington added a key insurance run in the eighth inning off left-hander Dax Fulton, extending its lead to 2-0.

The lead seemed safe after Miami managed just four hits and nothing to show for it through the first eight innings.

Miami will look to carry the momentum from Sunday’s dramatic comeback into Monday’s series finale.

The Marlins, all of a sudden, have a chance to split the four-game series, with first pitch scheduled for 6:45 p.m. ET.

A win would give Miami some much-needed momentum heading into another important three-game road series in Kansas City.