The game turned in one devastating inning. Miami exploded for four runs in the fifth, highlighted by three consecutive home runs that erased a scoreless tie and put the Marlins in control of a 7-3 victory over Washington at Nationals Park.
Heriberto Hernandez led the assault, going 2-for-5 with two home runs and three RBIs. His first blast came in the fifth inning after Joe Mack's two-run homer had given Miami the lead. Otto Lopez followed with another solo shot to cap the four-run frame. Hernandez struck again in the ninth with a two-run homer that sealed the victory.
The fifth-inning barrage began when Mack homered to center, scoring Owen Caissie. Hernandez immediately followed with his first home run of the night, then Lopez connected for his solo shot to left. The Nationals tried to rally, scoring twice in the seventh to pull within 4-3, but Hernandez's ninth-inning blast put the game away.
Miles Mikolas absorbed the loss for Washington, allowing six runs over six innings with a 6.07 ERA. John King earned the victory in relief for Miami, throwing 1.2 scoreless innings to improve to 2-1 on the season.
Miami snapped a losing streak and improved to 27-34. Washington fell to 31-30 after the defeat.