One-two punch of Rendon, Soto too much for Marlins to handle

The Nationals offense was again anchored by the one-two punch of Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto in a 7-0 shutout of the Marlins Saturday night.

And it all happened in a matter of three pitches in the first inning.

On the ninth pitch of Rendon's at-bat against Marlins starter Pablo López, the third baseman cranked a two-run shot to left field on a 3-2 fastball to give the Nats the lead. Then on an 0-1 changeup, Soto followed suit with another homer to left field. Suddenly, it was 3-0 Nats.

The back-to-back homers were each No. 30 on the season for Rendon and Soto. The duo matched a Nats mark of at least 30 homers by teammates in a season with the blasts. Adam Dunn (38) and Ryan Zimmerman (33) pulled off the feat in 2009. It was the ninth time this season Nats batters had hit back-to-back dingers.

Soto drilled an RBI double down the right field line in his next at-bat. Rendon later hit his 31st homer of the season in the eighth frame. The pair would end up combining for five runs and four RBIs in the Nats' 76th win of the season.

"They work really good at-bats," said Nationals manager Davey Martinez. "They really do. They can beat you in many ways. They both hit the longball, but both they both hit doubles, they go the other way. They can take their walks. Those two guys, three-four, they're probably one of the best (combinations) in baseball."

Right-hander Stephen Strasburg had all the support he needed to go to work on the Marlins himself. Thanks to an early 6-0 lead courtesy Rendon, Soto, a two-run Kurt Suzuki shot and (ironically) his own hitting ability, Strasburg weaved eight shutout innings for his 16th win. As a pitcher, Strasburg took time to appreciate what he had in his teammates.

"I think you got two guys there who have exceptional plate discipline and they don't swing at bad pitches and they have great approaches," said Strasburg, who dropped in an RBI single to left field in the second inning. "They grind on you and they can also hit the ball out of the yard, so it's hard to really find that kind of combination from the both of them to where they'll do what's needed every single time. It's fun to watch."

Soto has become only the seventh player in Major League Baseball to hit 30 homers in his age-20 season, joining Mike Trout, Alex Rodríguez, Tony Conigliaro, Frank Robinson, Ted Williams and Mel Ott.

"It's amazing, it's a blessing," Soto said of his career-high 30 homers. "I've been seeing a lot of people hit 30 homers and they've been really good in their career so now. Thirty for me, I feel proud of myself."

The 20-year-old has been setting the pace from the cleanup spot. In his last 15 games, Soto is hitting .328 with 21 hits, five of those homers, and 14 RBIs.

"I've been feeling really good," Soto said. "Been working a lot since the beginning of the season. Right now, I really feel really comfortable at the plate.

Hitting right after Rendon in the lineup, Soto gets the coveted opportunity to watch Rendon work his magic at the plate from the on-deck circle.

"Amazing. This guy, he's the same person every time, doesn't matter if he's good or bad he's going to be the same," Soto said. "Every time he comes here, he's trying to enjoy and play the game how he plays.

"The most fun part of that is to see the homer from the on-deck circle. It's amazing how that guy can bring everybody (with him). He just can hit, this guy can hit."

Together they are a big reason the Nats have continued to roll offensively. Rendon and Soto have combined to hit 61 homers and deliver 201 RBIs. The Marlins have only 117 homers combined as a team this season.