MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 13 - The Washington Nationals lost the second game of this road series against the Miami Marlins by a score of 7-6 after early struggles proved insurmountable despite the club’s best efforts. Trevor Williams struggled on the mound, and Colin Poche could not save him, which ultimately did the Nationals in despite a strong offensive performance.

Williams allowed six runs on eight hits over 4 2/3 innings, including a solo home run to Matt Mervis in the second inning. The Marlins capitalized on Williams' wild pitch and a series of hits to build a 3-0 lead by the third inning. In the fifth, Eric Wagaman hit an RBI double, leading to Poche replacing Williams in a 4-0 deficit. To many fans’ dismay, this did not go well, as Griffin Conine's immediate two-run double extended Miami's lead to 6-3.​

For some reason, Poche got to start the next inning as well. He was able to record two outs despite surrendering Miami’s seventh and final run, which made many fans question why he started the inning since he also allowed Williams’ runners to come in previously. However, Eduardo Salazar, Jorge Lopez, and Jackson Rutledge followed him, each putting up zeroes to keep the deficit right where it was.

Offensively, the Nationals showed true resilience, tying the game at 3-3 in the fourth inning with a two-run single from Josh Bell. They continued to chip away at the deficit when the Marlins continued to jump ahead, with Amed Rosario's RBI single in the sixth and Keibert Ruiz's RBI single in the seventh bringing them what felt like momentum since the Marlins scored in between them. Nathaniel Lowe's groundout in the seventh scored another run, narrowing the gap to 7-6 with seven outs to work some more magic.​

Despite the offensive efforts, the Nationals couldn't overcome the early deficit. Miami's bullpen held strong, with Ronny Henriquez retiring the side in order in the eighth and Calvin Faucher pitching a perfect ninth to secure the win.​ Keibert Ruiz led the Nationals' offense, going 3-for-4 with an RBI. Josh Bell and Nathaniel Lowe each contributed two RBIs. For the Marlins, Kyle Stowers and Griffin Conine each had two hits and two RBIs, while Xavier Edwards added two hits and two runs scored.​

Up next…

There will be a rubber match in Miami in just three hours, with the first pitch scheduled for 1:40 PM. Cal Quantrill will face off against the Nationals lineup, while MacKenzie Gore will take the bump for Washington. Following today’s game, the team will head to Pittsburgh for a four-game stretch from Monday to Thursday. The pitchers for that series are still to be determined, but Dave Martinez will likely give clarity on that later today.