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Gonzalez, Nationals handle Marlins

Sep 19, 2014 - 5:03 AM Miami, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Gio Gonzalez tossed seven strong innings and the Washington Nationals used a five-run fourth inning to defeat the Miami Marlins, 6-2, in the opener of a four-game set on Thursday.

Gonzalez (9-10) surrendered just two runs on six hits with no walks and five strikeouts in the win.

Bryce Harper finished 3-for-4 with a run scored, Kevin Frandsen had two hits and an RBI and Anthony Rendon scored twice for the Nationals, who have won five of their last six games.

"It was an all-around team effort for us. A good team win," Nationals manager Matt Williams said.

Jeff Baker had two hits, a run scored and an RBI for Miami, which had starter Brad Hand (3-8) give up six runs -- five earned -- on eight hits in five innings of work.

The Marlins struck first in the second. Baker led off the frame with a single to left and came home a batter later on Reed Johnson's double to deep center field.

Washington exploded for five runs in the fourth. Rendon supplied his team's first hit of the game on a one-out single to left, stole second and scored on Wilson Ramos' double to the right-field wall. Ian Desmond followed with an RBI single to right.

Harper singled to place runners at the corners, Asdrubal Cabrera knocked in Desmond with a base hit to right and Frandsen's single compounded with Johnson's throwing error made it a 5-1 game.

"I left some pitches up when I was ahead in the count," Hand said of the fateful fourth.

Washington added another run in the fifth after Jayson Werth doubled home Rendon with two outs.

Christian Yelich led off the home sixth with a double to left and stole third. After Donovan Solano lined out and Marcell Ozuna struck out, Baker's comebacker to the mound went off the glove of a diving Gonzalez for a 6-2 game.

Game Notes

Johnson's RBI double broke up a streak of 26 2/3 scoreless innings from Washington's starting pitchers ...The Nationals had a streak of 22 straight road games with a home run broken up ... Hand is now 0-5 in nine career games (seven starts) against the Nationals ... Washington leads the season series, 7-5.