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The Nationals haven't done much offensively after hanging six runs on the Marlins in the first inning today, but they added another run in the fifth inning to pad their lead on an Ivan Rodriguez double to center. They lead the Marlins 7-3 in the seventh inning, and have a chance to get Jason Marquis his fifth win of the season.
Rodriguez is 2-for-3 today, and in addition to driving in three runs for the Nationals, he threw out Emilio Bonifacio trying to steal second in the third inning. He's got only 15 hits this year, but has 14 RBIs with those hits. As a backup catcher, he absolutely still has value on a major league roster.
Marquis gave up a run in the seventh inning, but has been sharp again today, only allowing five hits and walking one. He's not getting as many strikeouts as he has in his last few starts, but on a day when the Nationals' offense has scored enough runs, the objective is to work quickly, get deep in the game and take some stress off a bullpen that's been overworked lately.
RIght now, the Nationals' lead is four. We'll see if they can keep it and avoid a sweep.
