MIAMI, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 9 - The Washington Nationals earned their fourth straight victory tonight with another quality performance through eight innings. Mitchell Parker put together a good outing, and despite a scare, the team held things down for a 7-5 win.

Washington’s pitching set the tone behind Parker, who threw one of his most efficient starts of the season. After allowing a solo homer to Joey Wiemer in the second, the lefty settled in and retired 14 straight, cruising into the eighth. His final line was 7⅔ innings, four hits, two runs, two walks, and two strikeouts on 96 pitches. Parker handed the bullpen a big lead and just four outs to get. PJ Poulin recorded the final out of the eighth, but the ninth got dicey as defensive mishaps and poor pitching came into play. Cole Henry was tagged for three runs before José A. Ferrer came on to secure the final out for his eighth save. It wasn’t pretty at the end, but Parker’s length and the early cushion made the difference on a night the staff limited damage until the last breath.

The lineup backed Parker immediately. In the first, Josh Bell unloaded a three-run homer to right-center (his fourth in three games) to give Washington a 3-0 lead. Daylen Lile added a 410-foot solo shot in the fifth, and the Nationals stacked quality swings throughout: CJ Abrams and James Wood each doubled and singled, Brady House chipped in two hits and a run, and Josh Bell later lifted a sacrifice fly in the sixth for what proved a crucial add-on. The situational hitting stood out as well as Jacob Young’s fourth-inning sac fly and Wood’s run-scoring fielder’s choice turned traffic into runs, while Washington finished with 10 hits and eight left on base.

The late problems turned a comfortable night into a scary moment, but the outcome still matters most for a young club stacking confidence. With the win, the Nationals improved to 60–84 and pushed their streak to four straight, taking a lead in the season set with Miami and continuing a September surge that’s showcased power at the plate and more stable starting pitching. While the summer months were not pretty for this club, finishing strong like this could send the team home feeling hopeful come the end of the month.

Up next…

The Nationals will continue this series in Miami tomorrow at 6:40 PM, sending Jake Irvin to the mound to face Eury Pérez. Washington will look to improve to 7-1 in the month of September and continue their race to the finish line of what has been a long, laborious season.