MIAMI _ There was no winning for Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly on Tuesday night, not on the field, where his club lost to the Washington Nationals, 12-3, and not in the dugout, where every decision he made regarding Bryce Harper and intentional walks ended up looking like the wrong one.
Most of Washington's runs scored in two rallies that revolved around walking _ or not walking _ Harper, the Nationals' 24-year-old four-time All-Star.
In the first such instance, the game was scoreless in the third inning when Harper stepped to the plate with runners on second and third and two outs. Mattingly had two choices: Have right-hander Edinson Volquez pitch to Harper, or call for an intentional walk to Harper, with first base open, and take your chances against cleanup hitter Ryan Zimmerman (average: .344).
Mattingly opted for the former. Harper burned Miami with a two-run single to center, chasing but connecting on Volquez's low changeup.
It happened again in the fifth, this time with Volquez's pitch count and the Nationals' lead quickly growing. Harper was due up with two outs and a runner on second, first base again open. Same decision: face Harper or face Zimmerman?
This time, Mattingly went for Zimmerman, who smoked a two-run double into the left-field corner.
That's the nature of the beast against the runaway leaders of the NL East. The Nationals boasted the second most productive offense in baseball entering Tuesday, averaging 5.5 runs per game (trailing only the New York Yankees' 5.72). They were also second in team average (.275), third in OBP (.339) and second in slugging (.475).
The Marlins _ with one of the most potent trios in baseball, Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna and Justin Bour _ averaged 4.79 runs, good for 13th.
Two batters after Zimmerman, when five in a row reached with two outs, Volquez's night was done. He allowed six runs in 4 2/3 innings, his second dude in a row since his sore ankle healed.
The heart of the Washington lineup _ Harper and Zimmerman, plus Daniel Murphy and Stephen Drew _ went 8 for 17 with 10 RBIs.
Miami's offense came courtesy of Ozuna and J.T. Realmuto (2 for 4, two doubles).
Ozuna's daily rocket came in the fifth, a two-run home run to left-center that landed an estimated 439 feet from home plate. Also scoring on the long ball was Christian Yelich, who kept the inning alive with a two-out single.
Ozuna also plated the Marlins' other run, in the fourth inning on Realmuto's double to left. Coming from first on the play, Ozuna blew through third-base coach Fredi Gonzalez's stop sign and scored easily with a belly-flop slide into home.
That was all the Marlins managed against Washington lefty Gio Gonzalez, a Hialeah native pitching in front of a hometown crowd. He struck out eight and walked two in seven innings.
The Nats added five runs (three earned) against righty Brad Ziegler in the ninth to blow it open. Shortstop JT Riddle booted a potential double play, opening the door for all five runs to score.
