WASHINGTON — Daylen Lile hit two home runs, drove in four runs, and helped lead the Washington Nationals to a 6-3 victory over the Miami Marlins on Monday night. Lile, who was named NL Player of the Week earlier that day, had an outstanding performance, going 3-for-3 at the plate.
The Marlins lost three out of four games against the Nationals and are now four games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks in the race for the final National League wild-card spot.
Lile, a second-year outfielder, has been on fire recently, hitting five home runs in his last eight games. His two homers in this game pushed his season total to 20. Brady House also contributed with two hits and one RBI for the Nationals, while Andrew Pinckney and Keibert Ruiz each added two hits as well.
Erik Tolman earned his first major league save by pitching out of a tough situation in the eighth inning. With bases loaded and no outs, he struck out Kyle Stowers and got Leo Jiménez to hit a double play grounder. In the ninth inning, he closed the game by striking out the side.
Nationals pitcher Matt Waldron started the game but left with a 2-2 record after pitching three scoreless innings. Josh Ekness came in relief and gave up a run before Lile tied the game with his second homer in the seventh inning.
In the fifth inning, Lile hit a long home run off Marlins starter Ryan Gusto, driving it 406 feet to left-center field. This brought the Nationals within one at 3-2. It was Lile’s first opposite-field homer in the majors.
The Marlins scored three runs in the third inning, with Heriberto Hernández scoring on a wild pitch and Kyle Stowers hitting a two-run single. However, the Nationals fought back to take the lead.
Marlins pitcher Tyler Phillips is set to start Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals, while Nationals pitcher Jake Irvin will face the Atlanta Braves in the first of two home games.