Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers wasn’t the only starting pitcher to hit a home run in his first outing of the season, as Gio Gonzalez slugged his second career home run in the Washington Nationals 3-0 win over the Miami Marlins.
Gonzalez found the left field seats with a solo shot in the fifth inning, giving the Nationals a 1-0 lead. Gonzalez pitched six strong innings as well, giving up no runs on two hits, along with five strikeouts.
The Nationals have now started the 2013 season with 18-consecutive scoreless innings pitched, as Stephen Strasburg shut down the Marlins on Opening Day in a 2-0 win that featured two home runs by Bryce Harper.
Harper’s bat stayed hot in game two, as he finished 2-for-4 at the plate with one run. Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman also had two hits for the Nationals, and drove in Harper for their third run in the eighth inning with a single up the middle.
Ryan Mattheus and Drew Storen pitched back-to-back scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth before Rafael Soriano came in to close out the Marlins for the second straight game. Soriano gave up a single and a walk before getting out of the jam for his second straight save.
The Marlins followed up a three-hit performance on Monday with just four hits on Wednesday. Miami is led by Giancarlo Stanton, who is off to a slow start and has just one hit in his first seven at-bats.
Kevin Slowey got the start on the mound for the Marlins, and gave up one run on four hits in just over five innings pitched. He gave up the home run to opposing pitcher Gio Gonzalez, which you can watch here if you missed it.
Gonzalez belted an inside breaking ball just over the left field wall and had a pretty big grin on his face while rounding the bases to an ovation from the Nationals crowd. The 27-year-old hit his first career home run last season against the Houston Astros on August 8.
Gonzalez spent his first four seasons in the MLB with the Oakland A’s before moving to the Nationals last year and finishing third in the NL Cy Young race. He has become a critical starter behind Strasburg in one the deepest rotations in the majors.
The Nationals and Marlins square off again Thursday in the final game of a three-game set. The Nationals will then hit the road and take on the Cincinnati Reds in a three-game series before returning home to meet the Chicago White Sox.
Can the Washington Nationals take hold of the National League early in 2013 and post the best record in baseball once again?
[Image via Creative Commons ]