Strasburg off to good start, Werth homers (Desmond hits grand slam in 7-1 win)

Right-hander Stephen Strasburg allowed a single to begin the game by Marlins left fielder Christian Yelich, who promptly stole second and went to third on an error by Nate McLouth. Yelich tried to come home when Derek Dietrich hit a comebacker that Strasburg fielded. He threw home and got Yelich in a rundown to record the first out of the inning. The Marlins did not go on to score.

That was the only hit the Marlins were able to register in the first three innings. Strasburg retired eight straight batters from the first inning to the end of the third.

Right fielder Jayson Werth then crushed a 3-0 pitch from Marlins starter Tom Koehler with a man on in the third, and the Nationals led 2-0. It was Werth's second homer in as many days, following his game-winning grand slam Wednesday.

Update: Strasburg has thrown 60 pitches through five innings, allowing just one hit. He has seven strikeouts. The Nationals still lead 2-0 after five.

Update II: Marcell Ozuna cut the Nats' lead to 2-1 with a long one-out solo homer in the seventh. Strasburg only lasted two more batters after striking out Adeiny Hechavarria and walking Jeff Mathis.

Jerry Blevins came on and induced a groundout from Reed Johnson to end the inning.

Strasburg finished with one earned run on three hits in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out 12 and walked just his last batter. The right-hander last recorded 12 strikeouts on July 24, 2013 against Pittsburgh.

Update III: With Marlins reliever Arquimedes Caminero on the mound, Anthony Rendon led off the eighth with a double, extending his hit streak to nine games, the longest by a Nationals player to begin a season. Later, with the bases loaded, Bryce Harper drew a walk that scored Rendon from third, and the Nationals led 3-1.

Ian Desmond followed with his second career grand slam, boosting the Nationals' advantage to 7-1. The Nats have now outscored opponents 28-7 from the seventh inning on this season.

Strasburg (1-1) notched his first win of the season. Nationals pitchers struck out 17 Marlins hitters.

Rafael Soriano came on to record three outs in the ninth. The Nationals swept the Marlins thanks to the 7-1 win and are heading to Atlanta with a 7-2 record.