The Washington Nationals separated from Miami with five runs in the third inning and four more in the seventh, turning a close game into a 9-2 victory at Nationals Park. Brady House supplied the biggest blow with a three-run home run, while Dylan Crews and Daylen Lile added timely production in the middle innings. Jackson Kent allowed the Nationals to control the game from the mound by covering seven innings, preserving the bullpen and limiting Miami to two runs.

Miami struck first in the second inning, but Washington answered with its five-run third and never surrendered control. House finished 1-for-4 with three RBI and one run, pairing his home run with the game's most consequential situational at-bat. Crews went 1-for-4 with two RBI and a run, while Lile contributed an RBI in a lineup that converted its scoring opportunities when the game began to tilt.

Kent's outing was effective because of its length rather than overpowering stuff. He completed 7.0 innings with three strikeouts and four walks, working through traffic but keeping Miami from sustaining a rally. The Nationals then added four runs in the seventh, creating enough separation for Max Kranick to cover two innings and protect the lead without a late-game pressure sequence.

Miami's pitching managed only three scoreless innings from Eury Perez, who struck out five in his 3.0 innings but issued four walks. Patrick Monteverde followed with four innings and two strikeouts, yet Washington's two scoring surges put the Marlins behind before the game reached the late innings. Heriberto Hernandez provided Miami's lone home run and one of its two runs, but the Marlins never produced the sustained traffic needed to answer Washington's offense.

The Nationals move to 64-73 with a win built on starting-pitch length, timely power and a lineup that punished Miami in its two biggest opportunities. Washington needs more consistent production beyond House and Crews, but this result shows the value of controlling the middle innings and keeping the bullpen out of extended work. Miami falls to 68-67 after failing to turn Perez's strikeout total into command or leverage, and its next priority is clear: reduce the free passes before another manageable game becomes a runaway.