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Marquis outduels Lincecum, Nats top Giants

Apr 30, 2011 - 4:53 AM Washington, DC (Sports Network) - Jason Marquis tossed his fourth career shutout and singled in a run in Washington's 3-0 victory over Tim Lincecum and the San Francisco Giants.

Marquis (3-0) allowed five hits and fanned seven without walking a batter for the 99th win of his career. It was his seventh complete game.

It's been a wonderful start to the season for the 32-year-old right-hander, who had an injury-marred 2010 season that saw him go 2-9 with a 6.60 ERA. His ERA stands at 2.62 after five starts this season.

"I just feel like I'm getting more consistent as time goes on," Marquis said. "I'm learning more about myself day-by-day, start-by-start. I'm just working hard in between starts to get better and maintain where I'm at."

Laynce Nix belted a two-run homer in the second inning, as the Nationals won their second straight following a 1-6 stretch. Ian Desmond went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and a run scored.

Lincecum (2-3) yielded seven hits and fanned seven without walking a batter over his seven innings.

Aaron Rowand had a pair of hits for the Giants in the opener of this four-game series. He singled and advanced to third in the opening inning, only to be stranded there when Buster Posey grounded out to end the frame.

In the second, Wilson Ramos doubled to center with one out and Nix followed with a homer to right field.

"If I maybe would have thrown it off the black and had it fade away it would have been a better pitch," Lincecum said. "He put a good swing. I should have known. He's a low-ball hitter. I should have buried it or thrown off the plate."

It became 3-0 in the fifth thanks in part to a poor call on a stolen base. Desmond singled to lead off, then broke for second base. The throw from Posey was on the money to Miguel Tejada, who applied the tag on the back. Second base umpire Rob Drake signaled safe, to the dismay of Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who walked onto the field to argue the call.

One out later, Marquis got a shoulder-high fastball and slapped a soft liner into right field with Desmond scoring easily on the hit-and-run play.

Freddy Sanchez doubled in the sixth, but Marquis fanned the three other batters he faced in the frame. Marquis hit Posey with a pitch to start the seventh, but recorded outs over the next nine batters to cap his gem.

Game Notes

The Giants went hitless in three at-bats with runners in scoring position. They are 8-for-53 in those situations over the last eight contests. San Francisco hasn't had more than three hits in a game with runners in scoring position over their last 18 contests...Washington is the only team in MLB that has received at least five innings from its starters in every game this season. The Nationals' (2005-present) longest such streak is 28 games, accomplished May 31-July 1, 2009.