WASHINGTON – Washington Nationals right fielder Jayson Werth said he was not surprised when the Marlins gave an intentional walk to second baseman Anthony Rendon to load the bases with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning.
“I wasn’t shocked,” said Werth, who then followed with a grand slam as the Nationals came back from a 5-0 deficit to beat Miami 10-7 on Wednesday night.
It was the first grand slam for Werth as a member of the Nationals, who trailed 7-6 going into the last of the eighth.
Reliever Carlos Marmol (0-1) intentionally walked Rendon, but Werth hit the second pitch from Marmol on a line into the Marlins’ bullpen to left field for his first homer of the year.
“It worked out,” Werth said. “You want to come through for your teammates. I was happy to do that. We have to take opportunities when we get them. I never felt out of this game, that’s for sure.”
Marlins manager Mike Redmond defended his decision to walk Rendon and pitch to Werth.
“We were trying to win the ballgame there. We were trying to get a ground ball. Rendon’s been swinging the bat really well, too,” he said.
Marmol said, “I was trying to go in and get a ground ball. That’s what I’m trying to do. The ball stayed a little in the middle and he hit it good.
Washington (6-2) has won three in a row.
“They have the ability to put up big numbers quick. We saw that tonight. They scored seven runs on two swings. It takes us 14 hits to get seven runs,” said Redmond, referring to a three-run homer in the fourth by left fielder Bryce Harper.
“Every time we got ourselves in a good position, we made a mistake that cost us. From the fourth inning on, it was really a struggle to hold these guys down.”
First baseman Garrett Jones hit an RBI double off the first base bag to drive in left fielder Christian Yelich (three hits, three runs) with the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth to give the Marlins a 7-6 lead.
Reliever Tyler Clippard (1-1) picked up the win for the Nationals and closer Rafael Soriano pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save. Soriano retired Yelich on a grounder to second for the final out with two runners on base.
Marlins catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia tied the score at 6 with a solo homer in the seventh against reliever Drew Storen.
Washington tied the score at 5 in the sixth on an RBI infield single by shortstop Ian Desmond that scored third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. Harper followed with a single, and catcher Jose Lobaton hit a dribbler back to reliever Dan Jennings, who misplayed it as Desmond scored to give Washington a 6-5 lead.
The Nationals, who trailed 5-0 after two innings, pulled to within 5-4 in the fifth as Rendon tripled to right and scored on a groundout by Werth.
Washington had closed the gap to 5-3 in the fourth when Harper blasted a three-run homer.
Miami scored three runs in the second to open a five-run lead. Yelich had an RBI single and second baseman Derek Dietrich hit a two-run homer.
The Marlins took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on an RBI single by right fielder Giancarlo Stanton and a sacrifice fly to center by Jones.
Miami scored five runs against Washington starter Jordan Zimmermann, who lasted just 1 2/3 innings while allowing seven hits before giving way to reliever Craig Stammen in the second. Stammen gave up no runs in 3 1/3 innings
“He is one guy you can count on for six or seven innings,” Stammen said of Zimmermann. “It was a fun game to win. We were fighting the whole game.”
NOTES: Marlins RHP Jacob Turner (right shoulder strain) was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 4. RHP Arquimedes Caminero was recalled from Triple-A New Orleans, where he was 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in two games. … Washington 3B Ryan Zimmerman was in the starting lineup after not playing the field the previous two games because of shoulder inflammation. He had an MRI on Sunday that showed no tear. “He feels good,” manager Matt Williams said. “He doesn’t have any pain in his shoulder. We will continue to keep an eye on him. His swing is fine, which is a good thing.” … The Nationals won each of their past seven games decided by one run against the Marlins. … Marlins RF Giancarlo Stanton, who drove in one run Wednesday, has 13 homers and 25 RBIs in his career at Nationals Park, his best hitting venue.