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Jacobs, Ramirez help Marlins outslug Nationals

Sep 12, 2007 - 4:18 AM MIAMI (Ticker) -- Mike Jacobs and Hanley Ramirez finally powered the Florida Marlins past the Washington Nationals.

Jacobs went 3-for-3 with a homer and a season-high five RBI as the Marlins posted a 13-8 victory over the Nationals on Tuesday.

Ramirez was 4-for-4 with two homers and Cody Ross added a solo shot for Florida, which snapped a three-game losing skid.

"I don't care if we're playing the "56 Yankees," Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "As long as we win a ball game, it feels good."

The Marlins, who punched out a season-high 21 hits, also halted a four-game slide to the Nationals.

"It's always fun to score that many runs," Jacobs said. "We joke how we can play some American League style games and slug it out with people."

The last time Florida had 20-plus hits was exactly a year ago - September 11, 2006 vs. the New York Mets.

"We've swung the bats the whole year," Gonzalez added. "That hasn't been the problem."

Washington, which had 13 hits, saw its two-game winning streak end.

With the score tied at 8-8 in the bottom of the seventh, the Marlins had runners on first and second before an RBI single by Miguel Cabrera gave them a 9-8 lead. Jacobs followed with a two-run double into the left-center field gap to make it 11-8.

"I've been really trying lately to use the whole field," Jacobs said. "When I'm going good is when I get hits everywhere."

It was the fourth and fifth runs driven in by Jacobs, who plated a career-high six vs. the Atlanta Braves on May 15, 2006.

An inning later, Ramirez belted his second homer of the game and 28th of the season before Cabrera added another run-scoring single to close out the scoring.

"The (Marlins) have a tremendous lineup and if you don't throw quality pitches you can get into games like we got into tonight," Nationals manager Manny Acta said. "We could tell from the beginning it was going to be a long game. We were prepared for it. God, I'm just glad it's over and nobody got hurt."

Ramirez leads the majors in home runs by a shortstop. The 2006 National League Rookie of the Year also hit his eighth leadoff homer of the season in the first.

The Nationals had trailed, 8-7, in the seventh before Dmitri Young hammered a double to the wall in center to score Ryan Zimmerman all the way from first.

"I just wanted to have good at-bats and get on base," Ramirez said.

Rookie reliever Matt Lindstrom (3-4), the fourth of sixth pitchers used by Florida, earned the victory by allowing one run and two hits in the seventh.

Nationals rookie Chris Schroder (2-2) suffered the loss by giving up two runs and two hits in one inning. He was the fifth of seven Washington pitchers

After the leadoff homer by Ramirez, the Nationals responded in the next frame with an RBI single by Wily Mo Pena followed by a sacrifice fly by Ronnie Belliard to take a 2-1 advantage.

The Marlins tied the score, 2-2, in the bottom of the second on an RBI groundout by Dan Uggla before using the long ball to take the lead.

With one out and a man on in the bottom of the third, Jacobs drilled the first pitch he saw from Mike Bacsik into the bullpen in right field to give Florida a two-run advantage. Ross then belted a 2-2 pitch deep into the seats in left to increase the Marlins' lead to 5-2.

That was it for Bacsik, who allowed five runs, eight hits and a walk in 2 2/3 innings.

"You hope you can make adjustments, but tonight I never did," Bacsik said. "I threw the ball either right down the middle or a foot outside."

However, Washington roared back in the fourth.

In the top of the frame, after a run-scoring single by Pena, the Nationals loaded the bases before rookie Justin Maxwell, pinch hitting for reliever Winston Abreu, smashed an 0-2 pitch from fellow rookie Chris Seddon into the seats in left to give Washington its second lead at 7-5.

"I was glad I could help the team today," Maxwell said. "Coming off the bench, you just want to help your team any way you can. You're probably only going to get one opportunity. So to have us take the lead at the time was pretty cool."

Seddon, making his first major league start after two relief appearances, surrendered seven runs, eight hits and a walk in three-plus innings.

"I was OK, the two relief outings helped," Seddon said. "I was just a little too anxious, getting outside of myself."

Jacobs added a run-scoring single in the bottom of the fourth to cut the deficit to 7-6. A passed ball by Nationals catcher Brian Schneider and an RBI base hit up the middle by Josh Willingham in the fifth gave the Marlins an 8-7 lead.