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Marlins secure season-high fifth straight win

May 10, 2008 - 5:09 AM By Rich Dubroff PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

WASHINGTON (Ticker) - Luis Gonzalez drove in three runs and Ricky Nolasco pitched six strong innings to lead the Florida Marlins to a 7-3 win over the Washington Nationals on Friday night.

The win was Florida's fifth straight overall and sixth in seven meetings with Washington. As a result, the Marlins (21-14) are off to their best 35-game start in team history.

"It's starting to rub off on everybody now," Nolasco said. "I know what that feeling's like - as long as we can just keep feeding off each other."

"We're playing some good baseball, fundamentally sound," Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "We're getting some good pitching (and) good hitting."

With Florida ahead, 3-1, in the sixth inning, Washington starter Tim Redding (4-3) surrendered a single to Jeremy Hermida before walking Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla to load the bases.

The second walk was the final batter Redding faced as Jesus Colome came on and allowed Gonzalez to lace a three-run double to right, increasing the lead to 6-1.

Colome has allowed seven of his 10 inherited runners to score this year.

"I don't know what's happening right now," Colome said. "I'm missing with fastballs. I'm missing my spots."

For Gonzalez, it was the 574th career double, tying him with Charlie Gehringer for 18th place on the all-time list. With three RBI, the 40-year-old also eclipsed the 1,400 mark, making him only the 67th player in major league history to surpass the milestone.

Gonzalez is playing regularly because left fielder Josh Willingham is injured.

"I know what my role is, when (Willingham) gets healthy again, I'll go back to being a bench player," Gonzalez said. "For me, the most important thing is, hopefully, I can show these guys that I can still play if I have to."

Nolasco (2-3) allowed a run and four hits with two walks and six strikeouts. In snapping his four-game winless streak, he won for just the third time in his last 16 starts.

Redding was charged with six runs - five earned - in 5 1/3 innings. He also walked four and struck out three.

"I didn't execute the gameplan the way I wanted to," Redding said. "Just poor execution - flat out."

The Marlins took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Cody Ross led off with a single, stole second, took third on a wild throw by Nationals catcher Wil Nieves and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ramirez.

Jorge Cantu delivered a two-run single in the fourth to make it 3-0 before Washington got back a run in the bottom of the inning on a bases-loaded walk to Wily Mo Pena.

Cristian Guzman hit an RBI double in the seventh and Nick Johnson added a run-scoring single two batters later to get the Nationals within 7-3.