WASHINGTON -- Add poor defense to a growing laundry list of reasons why the Nationals have struggled this season.

Two late errors in the seventh and eighth innings wasted another gem by Max Scherzer, who struck out six in six innings while also driving in a run with a single. The bullpen wasn’t to blame on this day, as the shaky defense prevented four relievers from protecting a one-run lead against the Marlins on Memorial Day in Washington’s 3-2 loss at Nationals Park that ended the team's season-best three-game winning streak.

• Box score

“We had two unearned runs today and those guys came in and threw the ball really well,” manager Dave Martinez said. “We just didn’t make two plays and it cost us two runs.”

After Tanner Rainey walked Miguel Rojas to start the seventh, the Marlins elected not to pinch-hit for starter Jose Urena, who bunted to move the runner over. In an attempt to tag Urena out, Matt Adams lost the ball and both runners were safe.

“I was trying to tag the guy and didn’t have a good grip on the ball, and his leg knocked it out of my glove,” Adams said.

“[Our staff] said we wouldn’t have gotten it. It was 50-50,” Martinez said when asked if he thought about challenging the call. “They couldn’t really tell. We were trying to see if Adams touched him before [losing the ball] and there was nothing definitive.”

Moments later, with Rojas on third and Urena on first, Harold Ramirez smacked the ball to shortstop, a grounder that could have turned into an inning-ending double play for the Nationals. But the Miami center fielder beat the throw to first, and Rojas scored to tie the game at two.

In the following inning with a runner on first, Trea Turner couldn’t complete a routine throw to Adams, with the ball sailing high off the first baseman’s glove. Kyle Barraclough hit Jorge Alfaro with a pitch and Rojas then hit a sacrifice fly to drive in the winning run.

“I knew I couldn’t go to second, so I feel like I couldn’t set up and secure the ball and make a good throw and threw it too high,” Turner said.

“Ball needs to be caught,” Adams said simply of the high throw glancing off his glove.

The Nationals have committed 40 errors this season.

Washington’s only runs were mustered in the fifth when Brian Dozier scored Kurt Suzuki on a sacrifice fly. Scherzer then hit the ball just over the second baseman’s head to score Gerardo Parra, who was on second, for the pitcher’s second RBI of the season.

“I was just able to get it up in the zone enough and just put a good swing on it,” Scherzer said. “It’s good when you work hard in between your days and you get to the plate and you get a chance and get an RBI.”

Despite another strong outing, the Nationals are 2-10 when their ace takes the mound. Scherzer has been provided with three runs or fewer in 10 of his 12 starts this season.

The Nationals had a chance to tie and take the lead in the eighth, but they couldn’t take advantage of a bases-loaded situation. With two outs, Juan Soto, who had a .333 career batting average with the bases loaded, flew out to left field. The 20-year-old did extend his hitting streak to a career-high 11 games with a double in the fourth.

After winning their first series since May 16, the Nationals now travel to Atlanta for the first time this season for a two-game series.

“Just don’t harp on today. I think we played good baseball the last four days. Today may be a little bit of a step back in that sense,” Turner said. “But I think just keeping doing what we’re doing and continue that confidence.”