JUPITER, FL - The Washington Nationals defeated the Miami Marlins this afternoon by a score of 8-7, improving their spring record to 6-5. The lineup fought back from a large deficit after Shinnosuke Ogasawara delivered a decent outing, but the pitchers after him could not hold things together. Headlined by some big plays, the Nats showed today that they will still put up a fight no matter what.

Ogasawara took the bump for his third start of the spring following a 23-minute rain delay. He pitched 2.0 innings just like his last time out, but he allowed two runs to cross the plate on four hits and a walk. The first run came off a string of singles before he settled in during the first inning. He cooled down and came out for the bottom of the third but walked Xavier Edwards to begin the inning, and was immediately pulled for Jackson Rutledge. Rutledge not only allowed Ogasawara’s runner to score, but he also surrendered three of his own across his 2.0 innings of work from just two hits. His killer was a three-run homer to veteran catcher Rob Brantly. Jose A. Ferrer then continued his strong spring by striking out the side before handing the ball off to Joan Adon who got the win despite giving up two runs. Eduardo Salazar and Clay Helvey each then pitched a scoreless inning to shut the door.

On the offensive side, the Nationals had a field day late in the ballgame. Down 5-0 in the top of the fourth, James Wood showed that his quad was just fine by launching a solo home run 110 MPH off the bat to left-center, just slightly to his opposite-field side. Wood also made his return to the outfield today, looking and feeling much better. “He's gonna probably play about four or five innings out there,” manager Dave Martinez said pregame. “We'll see how it goes, but he played well yesterday. He looked good. He says he's ready to go, so we'll get him out there and get him some regular reps out in the field.” After that incredible homer, Martinez ended Wood’s day there, as the plan suggested he might. Two batters later, Luis Garcia Jr., also making his return to the lineup from an illness, hit a solo homer. Prospect Andrew Pinckney, sensing that the bats were hot, followed their lead and hit a 406-footer of his own in the fifth.

In the top of the eighth inning, things looked dire. Down 7-4, the Nats would need some magic with just six outs left. Cayden Wallace, acquired from the Royals last summer for Hunter Harvey, hit a two-run homer off Brett de Geus. Drew Millas and Daylen Lile then immediately teamed up and hit back-to-back doubles, tying the game. A wild pitch by de Geus scored Lile, giving the Nats the lead. The team never looked back and walked away with a Curly W.

As the illness that Garcia Jr. had spread around the locker room, many questions have risen about Opening Day statuses for everyone. Those questions were quashed this morning, as Martinez said, “Everybody, as of right now, should be on schedule for Opening Day.” However, he said this before it was revealed that Mitchell Parker had some discomfort in his neck, leading to him not pitching today. While Martinez said after the game that this was a precaution, it is something to watch. In the meantime, the Nationals will take the win this afternoon on all fronts.

Up next:

The Nationals will once again be in Jupiter tomorrow to take on the St. Louis Cardinals. RHP Michael Soroka will take the bump for the Nationals against former National Erick Fedde. The game will be broadcast live on MASN. After that, the Nationals will play the New York Mets on Friday and Sunday, with another Cardinals game sandwiched in between.