Fernandez gets stronger as game rolls along in 5-1 defeat of Nats

Miami right-hander Jose Fernandez tossed a career-high 117 pitches, and finished up with relative ease, as the Marlins defeated the Nationals 5-1 to split the four-game set.

Fernandez struck out 10 of the last 12 batters he faced, striking out 11 batters overall. He pitched seven innings, allowing only four hits, one run (earned) and three walks.

"I think that's been the whole season," Fernandez said on his surge to end the outing. "The whole season, as the game progresses, I've been feeling better and better. That's a good feeling. Very excited man. These were big games and we split the series so that's a good feeling. Something good that we did as a team."

The only run he allowed was on an inside-the-park homer by Ryan Zimmerman. During the play, outfielders Marcell Ozuna and Giancarlo Stanton collided near the right-center field wall. Both fell to the ground and lay motionless for several seconds.

After assistance from the Marlins medical staff and manager Don Mattingly, Ozuna and Stanton returned to the game.

"It wasn't like a head-on blaster, but you don't really know what happens on that," Mattingly said. "Especially when they don't get up. That bothers you more than anything. If they get hit and get up and try to pick up the ball or something you at least know they're moving, but when they're both just laying there, on the way out there you're not sure what you're going to get."

Mattingly said he was encouraged when both players sat up.

"The fact that they were able to get moving and get going," Mattingly said. "At least now not hurting. They could be sore tomorrow in different ways. We'll deal with that tomorrow, but obviously the fact they could keep playing without feeling anything is encouraging for us."

Fernandez said he was definitely worried as he turned around on the mound to see the collision on the ball hit by Zimmerman.

"I'm happy no one got hurt," Fernandez said. "That was very scary for us as a team and not fun to watch. Not a good feeling, everybody is OK and we got a 'W' so that's big."

Zimmerman struck out the other two plate appearances against Fernandez.

"He's a pretty good pitcher. Fastball mid- to upper-90s mph and then he mixes in that slider, curveball or whatever you want to call it at any time," Zimmerman said. "He throws the changeup more to lefties, but he'll mix it in to righties as well. When he throws that slider for a strike, it's tough. Then with two strikes he can sort of expand the zone. He's got really good stuff."

Manager Dusty Baker said when Fernandez gets into that much of a groove where he can expand the zone, he's that much more difficult to get to.

"Well, that's how he pitches," Baker said. "He throws some breaking balls over the plate, and then he'll throw some off the plate. This guy, when he's healthy, he's among the league leaders in strikeouts. You know you're going to have some strikeouts. It's just when we get a pitch to hit, we can't really miss it, because he doesn't give you much to hit."

Fernandez was able to force Bryce Harper into 0-for-2 with a walk. The outs were lineouts to right and left field. Fernandez threw fastballs exclusively to the NL MVP in their first matchup.

Then, in the second at-bat, he started Harper off with three consecutive changeups. He mixed curveball and changeup to Harper the rest of the way, offering only one more fastball after their first meeting in the bottom of the first.

"I never have a plan with him," Fernandez said. "I go with my gut feeling, honestly. He's seeing the ball well. He's a guy that's really good at what he does. We are confident in what we do and what we can do. It's always a fun battle. That team is fun. I love those battles like that."

Fernandez also helped his team to the win at the plate, offering base-advancing sacrifices and then a game-clinching two-run single in the sixth that gave the Marlins a 5-1 advantage.

"I think I have learned with time to steady myself in those big situations because when I try to do too much it never works out," Fernandez said. "I was just trying to stay through the middle of the field and I got lucky."

Fernandez is now 5-2 and has won four straight decisions. Mattingly believes Fernandez is hitting his stride, something that should concern the Nationals, as they travel to face the Marlins in Miami next weekend. One goal will be to make Fernandez work harder to get guys out.

"This was his best," Mattingly said of Fernandez's start. "Last one was better than the others. To me, this was the easiest and smoothest. No real true troubles. He gives up the one run, but that's a ball that may have got caught by either guy but ended up being a tweener and ended up being a run. They may have scored there anyway.

"He just didn't have the same fights to get through everything. He got Harper on a line out to left, which was a big out for us, but he kind of just smoothed through it. Not a whole lot of battles."