The Washington Nationals are far from finished. Not after briefly slipping below .500 this week. And
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Trea Turner hit two homers, including his first career grand slam, and drove in eight runs to help Washington rally past Miami 14-12 in a wild slugfest to end a five-game losing streak.
”Not to get ahead of ourselves, put together wins, try to win a series,” first baseman Matt Adams said. ”I think that’s what we’re going to focus on from here on out, win two out of three, win three out of four. If that’s the case, then the wins will start stacking on top of each other and we’ll just get rolling the way we’re capable of.”
The Nationals, who dropped 17 of their previous 22
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It was also the largest comeback victory since the team left Montreal. The Nationals rallied from eight runs down to defeat Atlanta 13-12 on April 28, 2015.
The victory came a day after the Nationals called a players-only meeting Wednesday after Washington was swept by Boston and slipped under .500 for the first time since May 2.
But things didn’t start smoothly.
Miami scored an unearned run in the first, and capped a six-run second on Martin Prado’s three-run homer off the left-field foul pole. The Marlins made it 9-0 on Justin Bour’s two-run homer in the fourth off Jeremy Hellickson.
Despite the huge deficit, Washington was far from out of it.
Turner led off the fourth with a solo shot off Marlins starter Pablo Lopez, who surrendered four more runs in the fifth – including two on Juan Soto’s double. Adam Conley (2-1) then allowed four of the first five hitters he faced to reach in the sixth before Turner smacked a two-out fastball with the bases loaded into Miami’s bullpen to give the Nationals a stunning 10-9 lead. It was Turner’s third career multi-homer game.
”Command was an issue today, so I wasn’t able to get the ball where I wanted,” Conley said. ”My hat’s off to him. I thought the ball was coming out pretty good today, so for him to get ahold of it, that’s the way the game goes. If the game were easy, everybody would play it.”
Turner added a two-run single in Washington’s four-run seventh. His eight RBIs tied for the most ever by a leadoff hitter
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”When we were down 7-0, I feel like we still for sure had a shot – 9-0, it hurts a little bit more, but we did it,” Turner said. ”I think once we got the first run on the board, it kind of just got the momentum back on our side and we continued to push. I think that’s what we’re capable of.”
Shawn Kelley (1-0) pitched a scoreless sixth for the win. Sean Doolittle earned his 22nd save in 23 opportunities.
Adams had four hits for Washington in his first game since a stint on the disabled list for a broken left index finger.
”Good win, but we still got stuff to do,” manager Dave Martinez said.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Marlins: Prado was activated from the disabled list after missing 37 games with a left hamstring strain. … Miami recalled RHP Ben Meyer from Triple-A New Orleans, placed RHP Tayron Guerrero (left lumbar strain) on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to Wednesday and designated OF JB Shuck for assignment. … SS JT Riddle (hip) was scratched from the lineup. … RHP Sandy Alcantara (right axillary infection) is expected to be re-evaluated and begin a throwing progression Monday. … OF Lewis Brinson (right hip) will be re-evaluated Monday.
Nationals: Martinez said the team is optimistic RHP Stephen Strasburg (shoulder inflammation) will be ready to return right after the All-Star break. … 1B Ryan Zimmerman (right oblique strain) will start running the bases Friday or Saturday and could begin a rehabilitation assignment as early as Sunday. … Washington recalled RHP Jefry Rodriguez from Triple-A Syracuse and placed RHP Erick Fedde on the 10-day disabled list. Fedde, who is 1-3 with a 5.79 ERA
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WALK IN THE PARK
Five Nationals who walked eventually scored. Another Washington runner scored after reaching base on a forceout of a player who walked.
”We walked eight guys,” Miami manager Don Mattingly said. ”You can’t walk eight guys with that club over there. We let them back in the game.”
UP NEXT
Marlins: RHP Dan Straily (3-4, 4.70 ERA) has held NL East batters to a .202 average in five starts this season, though none of those outings have come against Washington.
Nationals: LHP Gio Gonzalez (6-5, 3.77) is winless in his last six starts, but is 10-3 with a 1.85 ERA lifetime against Miami.
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Running back Duke Johnson has reached agreement with the Browns on a three-year, $15.6 million contract extension.
Johnson was Cleveland's top playmaker last season when the club went 0-16. The 2015 third-round draft pick from Miami led the Browns with 74 catches and 693 yards receiving. He also rushed for 348 yards and scored four touchdowns.
The tough 5-foot-9, 210-pounder has at least 500 yards receiving in each of his first three seasons, joining Herschel Walker as the only players to do so.
The deal includes $7.7 million guaranteed and a $5 million signing bonus.
"I'm excited," Johnson said. "It's fun to see how this team is shaping out and I want to be a part of it. You can see it with the guys they brought in on offense like Tyrod (Taylor) and (Jarvis) Landry plus the guys we already had. I think bringing in coach (Todd) Haley adds another dimension to our offense and it gives coach (Hue) Jackson the chance to be the head coach.(General manager) John Dorsey has been bringing in guys that can play
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Among the league's backs since 2015, Johnson is first with 6.3 yards per touch from scrimmage, 1,741 yards receiving, and 188 catches.
"Duke Johnson is a good football player," Dorsey said. "His hard work and commitment to the Browns organization is appreciated and we are excited to extend his contract and keep him in a Browns uniform for years to come. Duke is an excellent representative our organization. He leads by example and we look forward to him playing an important role with the Cleveland Browns moving forward."
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