Miami Marlins vs Washington Nationals Box Score on Aug 22, 2020

Ex-Miami Marlins pitcher Anibal Sanchez earned his first win of the season, leading the host Washington Nationals to a 9-3 victory over his former team on Sunday afternoon.

Nationals shortstop Trea Turner, who has scored at least one run in 12 of his past 13 games, went 3-for-3 and was hit by a pitch. He also scored twice and had three RBIs.

Sanchez, who entered the game with an 8.50 ERA, earned his first victory since Sept. 25. Sanchez (1-3) allowed one run on five hits with no walks in seven innings to lower his ERA to 6.48. He struck out five and helped the Nationals even this series at two victories apiece. The finale is set for Monday.

Two Marlins rookies made their major-league debuts in this game - catcher Brian Navaretto (2-for-3) and reliever Brandon Leibrandt, who pitched four scoreless innings. Fourteen Marlins have made their MLB debuts this season.

Leibrandt is also the 33rd pitcher used by Miami this season, a franchise record. Much of that can be attributed to the 18 Marlins who tested positive for COVID-19 last month.

Another Marlins rookie, Humberto Mejia (0-2), took the loss. In just his third major-league appearance, Mejia allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings.

Washington opened the scoring in the first. Turner led off with a broken-bat single, and he scored when Howie Kendrick cranked an opposite-field double off the wall in right-center. In between those plays, Juan Soto nearly hit a two-run homer, but Marlins center fielder Lewis Brinson reached over the fence to snag that ball.

Miami tied the score on the first pitch of the second inning. Corey Dickerson extended his hitting streak to eight games by going with an outside fastball and lofting it for a 374-foot homer over the fence in left.

Dickerson was later removed from the game when he crashed through the net in the pursuit of a foul ball in left field. He sustained an injury to his left shoulder and is day to day.

Rookies Luis Garcia and Carter Kieboom - ranked as Washington's top two prospects - got on base to start the second with a single and a walk, respectively. Garcia came around to score on Turner's infield single.

Washington extended its lead to 4-1 in the fourth. Garcia singled and likely would've been thrown out trying to steal second, but Jonathan Villar was charged with an error for dropping Navaretto's toss. Then, with two outs, Turner was hit by a pitch, and Adam Eaton slugged a two-run double.

The Nationals put the game away with a five-run fifth, a rally that included Turner's two-RBI triple.

--Field Level Media