Harper extends hit streak to 12 games with homer

MIAMI - That slump Bryce Harper appeared to be digging himself into on the West Coast a couple weeks ago? Yeah, he's out of it.

With his latest home run, Harper not only extended his hitting streak to a career-best 12 games. He also set the tone for the Nationals on a night in which everybody is teeing off against Marlins left-hander Justin Nicolino.

Unfortunately, Miami did the same to Tanner Roark in the bottom of the third.

Harper destroyed a 3-2 fastball from Nicolino in the top of the first of tonight's series opener at Marlins Park, sending it on a line just over the 392-foot marker in right-center. His 18th homer of the season - two shy of National League leader Eric Thames - gave the Nationals a quick 2-0 lead and further distanced himself from his slump.

Harper had gone 2-for-21 with 11 strikeouts during the Nationals' three-city California trip a few weeks ago, a trip that also included his three-game suspension for charging the mound after he was intentionally plunked by Giants reliever Hunter Strickland.

That raised some concerns that Harper, who admittedly looked lost during several at-bats, was beginning to bear some resemblance to the guy who went through a similar slump in May 2016 and never fully recovered.

He is making sure history doesn't repeat itself. During this 12-game hitting streak, Harper is batting .340 with a .415 on-base percentage and .596 slugging percentage.

Harper isn't the only one hitting so far tonight. Anthony Rendon launched his 13th homer of the season in the top of the second, his ball landing up against one of the flamingoes in the Marlins Park Home Run Sculpture.

The Nationals added three more runs in the top of the third, getting an RBI double from Daniel Murphy and a clutch two-out, two-run single from Michael A. Taylor (now batting .287 with eight homers, 24 RBIs and 12 doubles in 45 games since replacing the injured Adam Eaton).

Up 6-0 in the third, Roark should have been in great shape. But the right-hander, after cruising through his first two innings, collapsed in the third. Back-to-back two-out walks loaded the bases for Justin Bour, and the Fairfax County native proceeded to crush a grand slam into the right field bullpen, bringing the Marlins all the way back to tie the game.

Roark couldn't even finish the inning. After throwing 44 pitches in the third, he was pulled by manager Dusty Baker in favor of left-hander Matt Grace.