Despite depleted bullpen, Nats sweep Marlins again (updated)

Scant offense til the sixth inning? Baserunning blunders? A piecemeal bullpen that required three arms to get three outs in the eighth and a 42-year-old to close it out in the ninth? The Nationals keep finding ways to win in spite of all of this, and that's no small feat.

Today's 5-2 victory over the Marlins was simply the latest in this staggering stretch of success that has seen the Nats win 26 of 36 and move themselves into playoff position in the wide-open National League wild card race.

It's been a sight to behold, and every moment of it should be enjoyed.

"I think we got that feeling now: 'How are we going to win this game? We're going to win this game here,' " catcher Kurt Suzuki said. "It's always about winning, and we feel it. You've got to try to keep that feeling as long as you can."

That's exactly what the Nationals are doing. And yet, this latest stretch - they've won eight of nine - does need to be accompanied by a significant caveat: It has come against the Marlins and Tigers, who own two of the majors' five worst records at the moment. And next up is another team that fits that description: the Royals.

The schedule is going to get a whole lot tougher after the All-Star break, at which point we'll find out if this Nationals club really can sustain this pace and make this a summer to remember. For now, might as well sit back and enjoy the ride.

"I think we are a good team," Gerardo Parra said. "Right now, I think we are the best. And we'll see what happens."

Today's win, capping the Nationals' second three-game sweep of Miami in the last week and a half, came thanks to another quality start from Aníbal Sánchez. It came thanks to a couple big hits from Anthony Rendon.

And it came thanks to nine outs recorded by five relievers not named Sean Doolittle. With his closer unavailable after throwing 54 pitches the last two nights, Davey Martinez turned to Tanner Rainey to pitch the seventh, the trio of Wander Suero, Jonny Venters and Javy Guerra to pitch the eighth and then the ageless Fernando Rodney to pitch the ninth and record his second save since joining this bullpen nine days ago.

"I said before: Here's a guy that's done it, and was really effective doing it," Martinez said of the 42-year-old Rodney, whose fastball hit 99 mph today. "He comes out and pumps strikes. That's what he does. And I like what I'm seeing from him. ... If he can do that, and Doo can't go, he's going to be the guy."

None of those relievers would have been in position to close out the game if not for Sánchez, who turned in yet another impressive start. For all the attention thrust on the Nationals' "Big Three" of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin - deservedly so, for the record - in reality this has been a "Big Four" during the club's current torrid stretch.

In seven starts since returning from a hamstring strain, Sánchez is now 5-0 with a 2.18 ERA and 0.968 WHIP. Those are better numbers than both Strasburg and Corbin have posted in the same timeframe.

It wasn't always pretty today, especially early on when Sánchez served up a game-opening homer to Miguel Rojas and then an unearned run in the top of the second. But the veteran made pitches when he needed to and finished strong, retiring six of the last seven batters he faced.

"Today is one of those days that I don't feel early in the game that I've got really good command of my stuff," Sánchez said. "I don't know if probably because it's too early, or I don't know. But I keep trying to keep fighting and just hold the game until the team responds."

That's exactly what happened. By the time Sánchez departed, his teammates had supplied him with a lead, thanks to their increasingly typical mid-game outburst. The Nationals haven't been scoring runs early against the Marlins, but they sure are scoring them come the middle innings.

Suzuki did get them on the board in the bottom of the second with a solo homer. But it took a couple of trips through the lineup against Elieser Hernandez before the bats finally got hot, especially a certain All-Star third baseman's bat.

Rendon led off the fourth by turning on a 3-2 pitch and driving it to left for his 20th homer of the season. One inning later, he stepped to the plate with Parra on third base and the Miami infield playing in, then promptly sent a sharp grounder up the middle for his 60th RBI of the season, this one of the go-ahead variety.

And Parra wasn't done making the most of his rare start in place of Adam Eaton. The veteran laced a two-out, two-run double to right-center off lefty Adam Conley in the bottom of the sixth to extend the lead to 5-2 and give the Nationals bullpen some cushion.

"Our team - I said this before - they are always in every game," Martinez said. "They never quit. They work at-bats. And as the game gets going, you see us put two, three, four at-bats together. That's what they do."