The game was decided in the first inning. Washington scored three times in the opening frame and held on for a 3-2 victory over Miami at loanDepot park, snapping a losing streak behind Foster Griffin's dominant pitching performance.
Griffin earned the win with seven innings of work, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on four hits while striking out nine batters. The left-hander walked one and threw 103 pitches to improve to 4-1 with a 2.12 ERA this season.
The Nationals struck quickly in the first inning. Abrams singled to center to bring Mead home for the game's first run. Jacob Young followed with a two-run homer to left field that traveled 403 feet, scoring Abrams and giving Washington a 3-0 lead. Miami answered immediately in the bottom half when Xavier Edwards homered to left center, a 400-foot blast that cut the deficit to 3-1. Lopez then scored on an error by first baseman Mead, with Stowers reaching safely on the throwing error to make it 3-2.
Miami's starter lasted five innings, allowing 3 runs on five hits with four walks and two strikeouts in the losing effort. The Marlins managed just three more hits after the first inning against Griffin and the Washington bullpen.
Washington improved to 17-20 while Miami fell to 16-21, extending their losing streak to four games. The Nationals moved ahead of the Marlins in the division standings.