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Jon Rauch (2-0) earned the win by pitching a scoreless top of the ninth.
Florida had taken a 3-1 lead when five consecutive Marlins reached base as play resumed in the fifth inning after a nearly three-hour delay. The game had been tied 1-1 with one out in the top of the fifth when what had been a drizzle turned into strong rain as Washington starter Matt Chico faced Hanley Ramirez. With the count 2-2, play was halted at 8:25 p.m.
There later was thunder and lightning, and a puddle about 30 feet wide formed in shallow left field. The showers subsided, and a tiny fraction of the announced attendance of 19,278 remained when Ramirez returned to the batter’s box at 11:16 p.m., ending a pause of 2 hours, 51 minutes.
Reliever Levale Speigner replaced Chico, and his very first pitch was blooped into shallow right by Ramirez. Dan Uggla’s tiebreaking RBI double followed. After Miguel Cabrera was walked intentionally, Josh Willingham singled to load the bases, and Aaron Boone’s RBI single made it 3-1. But Speigner — who will make his first major league start Wednesday, filling in for the injured Shawn Hill — came back to strike out the next two batters.
“That was a big inning to get out of,” Speigner said, “and at least keep it closer than it could have been.”
And set up Zimmerman for the big finish to a long night.
Notes: The Marlins tied a club record with eight doubles. ... Endy Chavez had the last inside-the-park homer for the Expos, on June 20, 2003, against Toronto. ... Nationals 1B Dmitri Young (left Achilles) missed a fourth consecutive start. He had a pinch-hit single in the ninth.
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