Marlins' aggressive bullpen usage seals sweep to start key stretch run 

MIAMI -- The final sprint in a months-long marathon is upon us, and with it comes a sense of urgency.

After Sunday afternoon’s 6-2 victory over the Nationals at loanDepot park, 31 games remain for the Marlins to make up ground in the National League Wild Card standings.

Miami (67-64) now has a 7.6 percent chance of making the postseason and sits four games behind San Diego (71-60) for the final WC spot. If the Marlins wanted to stay in the race, they needed to bounce back from a sweep against the Phillies. They did that by winning their eighth in a row against the Nats -- only the second time this season a Major League club has put together that kind of dominant stretch against an opponent (D-backs vs. Giants from May 18-June 30).

“This was certainly a very important series with where we are in the calendar, and being at home and having a chance to do that today,” said manager Clayton McCullough, whose club guaranteed a winning record at home.

Although it wasn’t much different from what he has done this season, McCullough was aggressive with his pitching strategy to chase down the victory.

Right-hander Janson Junk had allowed just one run through 4 2/3 innings before McCullough turned to fireman Michael Petersen with a pair of runners on base -- both via a hit-by-pitch -- and the game tied at 1.

“We know how important every win is going to be here down the stretch,” McCullough said. “It's not a lack of confidence in others, but it's also as much as every day we play a game, we have one less, and every win here is going to be important. So I think the aggressiveness, as you said, will be here down the stretch.”

It would be understandable to consider this a blow to one’s pride as a competitor. Junk wouldn’t qualify for the win when the offense scored two runs in the bottom half of the frame on Xavier Edwards’ two-out single.

“I think you just kind of hit it: the greater good of the team,” said Junk, who was at 69 pitches. “If the bullpen can do it that day, then I'm totally fine with that. Obviously, I would like to finish that out, kind of what I started, just because I felt like I was in a good position. I was still feeling good, but overall, I trust the bullpen to come in there any moment and get us out of those situations. In the moment, I would be more frustrated about myself.”

Petersen would load the bases with a walk, then struck out Abimelec Ortiz on a slider to squash the threat.

Among 93 Major League relievers to inherit at least 20 runners this season, Petersen has the third-highest strand rate (92.3%) behind Tim Hill and former teammate John King.

Since Tuesday’s rare blip, in which Petersen surrendered four decisive runs to the Phillies in a loss with Wild Card implications, he has tossed back-to-back scoreless outings.

“There is a sense of urgency, and there's a little bit of a message, but it's something we've been doing all season,” Petersen said. “It's really fun to come into a game and be able to sit down after you're done, being like, ‘I did a good day's work. I did something that actually mattered.’”

Washington trimmed the deficit to 3-2 in the sixth against righty Calvin Faucher, who hadn’t given up a run in the month of August across 7 2/3 innings. He still managed to achieve something he hadn’t done all season: pitch on three consecutive days.

Miami responded on Joe Mack’s pinch-hit RBI double and Otto Lopez’s sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the frame to take a 5-2 lead. Mack tacked on a run-scoring fielder’s choice in the eighth.

Righty Jack Ralston, who was recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville as the corresponding roster move for King, tossed a scoreless seventh and eighth in his Major League debut. Closer Pete Fairbanks worked around trouble in a scoreless ninth in a non-save situation. Right-hander Tyler Zuber was warming up just in case.

“If this helps us push to that next level, then we're going to do it,” Petersen said. “You can even add [Tyler Phillips]. He’s been going up, helping us out. If we need a guy, he's down there helping us. We want to help. That's the whole thing. Make it to the playoffs. Do something fun. Like, why not?”