Buehrle pitches Marlins to 2-1 win over Nationals
MIAMI — Mark Buehrle pitched seven innings and the Miami Marlins beat the Washington Nationals 2-1 Saturday night.
Carlos Lee and John Buck drove in the runs for Miami, which snapped a three-game losing streak.
Buehrle (9-8) won his fourth consecutive start by allowing one run and six hits. He struck out seven and walked two.
Steve Cishek pitched the final 1 2-3 innings to earn his second save, and first since May 25 against San Francisco. It was the first save opportunity for the Marlins after manager Ozzie Guillen announced Heath Bell had been removed from the closer role.
Cishek allowed a two-out single to Roger Bernadina in the ninth and Bernadina stole second, but Jesus Flores struck out to end the game.
Hialeah native Gio Gonzalez (12-4) took the loss in his first game in Miami. Gonzalez pitched six innings and allowed two runs. He struck out nine.
Gonzalez retired the first nine batters — five on strikeouts — before Jose Reyes singled up the middle to lead off the fourth. Omar Infante’s sacrifice bunt advanced Reyes to second and the recently acquired Lee drove in Reyes with a base hit to right-center field. It was Lee’s first RBI as a Marlin in six games.
The Nationals tied it at 1 thanks to some fortune on the basepaths. Buehrle got Ian Desmond leaning off first base and when his pickoff throw went to Lee, Desmond was on his way down to second. Lee’s throw hit Desmond in the back and he reached safely.
Two batters later Flores hit a bloop single to score Desmond. Ryan Zimmerman eventually came to bat with the bases loaded, but Buehrle struck him out swinging to get out of the jam.
Buck’s RBI single in the fifth gave the Marlins a 2-1 lead.
Buehrle got out of another jam in the seventh as he struck out Roger Espinosa to leave a runner stranded at third.
NOTES: Flores went 2 for 3 after hitting a two-run single on Friday. He had been hitless in his final 16 at-bats before the All-Star break. ... Emilio Bonifacio stole second base with a head-first slide in the seventh inning, his first steal attempt since being caught stealing on May 18 when he damaged a ligament on a similar slide causing him to miss 46 games. ... Prior to the game, former Marlins Ivan Rodriguez and Jeff Conine re-enacted Conine’s memorable throw to Rodriguez at home plate for the final out of the 2003 NL Division Series against the Giants. The Marlins went on to win their second World Series that year. ... Washington RHP Stephen Strasburg (9-4, 2.82 ERA) will start Sunday against RHP Ricky Nolasco (8-6, 4.35 ERA). Strasburg will try to snap a three-game losing streak.