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Stanton smashes fifth homer, first at Marlins Park

MIAMI -- After four straight foul balls, Giancarlo Stanton capped a 10-pitch at-bat with a thunderous home run to left in the eighth inning that pretty much iced the Marlins' 8-0 victory over the Nationals at Marlins Park.

The no-doubt drive came off Rafael Martin. The pitch was logged as an 81-mph slider, and it exited the ballpark at a much faster speed.

The blast was Stanton's fifth of the season and his first at Marlins Park. At the time, it gave Miami a five-run lead, but the cushion expanded five batters later when Adeiny Hechavarria blasted a three-run homer.

Stanton went 3-for-3 with a double, a walk and two RBIs. In the fourth inning, he opened the scoring with an RBI double to left off Stephen Strasburg.

Video: WSH@MIA: Stanton opens the scoring with a double

"This team can't be about just one guy, but he's our guy in the middle of that lineup that can do a lot of damage," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. "It seems like when he's firing on all cylinders, then everybody else is, too. It was nice to see him have some great at-bats today and have a big hit."

The Marlins entered Saturday with one homer in their first seven home games. They belted two in the eighth inning.

Stanton belted his first four homers on the road, with two at the Mets and two at Philadelphia. He deposited his 159th career shot on Saturday.

"It looked like he was just a click off," Redmond said. "And then he hammered it."

Joe Frisaro is a reporter for MLB.com. He writes a blog, called The Fish Pond. Follow him on Twitter @JoeFrisaro.
Read More: Miami Marlins, Giancarlo Stanton