Under those desperate circumstances Monday night, and in a 5-2 victory over the Houston Astros before 28,975, Marquis delivered precisely what the Nationals needed. For just one night, the hero was Ryan Zimmerman, who delivered the tying home run in the seventh and the go-ahead single in the ninth. But Marquis’s eight-inning, two-run performance carried just as much weight going forward. By stabilizing a bullpen that badly needed a night off, Marquis helped the Nationals return to .500 at 48-48 and enhanced their chances for the next two days.
“It’s big,” Zimmerman said. “Coming from that tough game yesterday, for him to be able to go that long was huge for us.”
Any of the scouts in attendance fixing their eyes and radar guns on Marquis, a veteran starter whom contenders have called the Nationals about trading for by the July 31 deadline, could only have upgraded their opinion. He struck out nine for the fourth time in his career, allowing six hits and a walk. It came against the team with the worst record — now 31-65 — in the majors, but Marquis’s performance was mostly dominant nonetheless.
Marquis, one day after a sprained ankle knocked Tom Gorzelanny out after two innings, understood the circumstances. Three Nationals relievers — Tyler Clippard, Ryan Mattheus and Henry Rodriguez — were completely unavailable. Johnson hoped a fourth, Sean Burnett, could also get another day’s rest.
“If you’re a baseball player, you’re part of a team, you should be aware of everybody’s situation,” Marquis said. “As a part of the team, you’ve got to realize those situations.”
Marquis threw 112 pitches, and no Nationals reliever even threw a warmup pitch until the ninth, when Drew Storen entered to preserve a three-run lead and cinched his 25th save by striking out the last three hitters he faced.
“It was a nice change of pace for us,” Storen said. “The less that phone rings, the better. That’s going to come up huge the next couple days for us, too.”
Marquis dueled 20-year-old rookie Jordan Lyles to a draw until the ninth inning, when the Nationals exploded for three runs. The Nationals managed only two hits in the first eight innings against Lyles, a right-hander, but both were home runs. Michael Morse hit the first, which was last seen traveling upward as it crossed high over the left field fence in the fifth inning; it might still be going. Zimmerman hit the second, and it landed in the first row beyond the right field fence. What Zimmerman’s homer lacked in majesty it made up for in significance — it tied the score at 2 in the seventh inning.
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