Baker has homer, 4 RBIs as Marlins win 3rd straight, 9-6, hand Nationals 7th consecutive loss

Baker homers, drives in 4 in Marlins’ 9-6 victory

WASHINGTON — John Baker homered and matched a career high with four RBIs, Jorge Cantu also connected and the Florida Marlins beat Washington 9-6 Friday night, dealing the Nationals their seventh consecutive loss and officially eliminating them from postseason contention.

Cantu and Hanley Ramirez had two RBIs each in Florida’s third straight victory.

Burke Badenhop (6-4) allowed one hit over three scoreless innings. Leo Nunez pitched the ninth for his 18th save in 23 tries.

Josh Willingham homered for the Nationals, who equaled their season’s longest losing streak.

Florida took a quick 3-0 lead in the first against Garrett Mock, starting in place of Craig Stammen, who was scratched with a sore right elbow.

Chris Coghlan extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a leadoff single and moved to second on a groundout before scoring on Ramirez’s single to left. Cantu followed with his 14th homer, a shot to left off an 0-2 pitch.

In the second, Cameron Maybin tripled off the wall in right-center and scored when Nick Johnson blooped a two-out, opposite-field single to left.

Washington got within 4-2 in the second on Gonzalez’s two-run triple.

Baker’s two-run homer made it 6-2 in the third. Cantu drew a leadoff walk before Baker lined a pitch into the first row of the left-field stands for his career-high ninth homer.

Ryan Zimmerman tripled with two out in the bottom of the inning, then scored on Dunn’s bad-hop single past first. Willingham hit Sean West’s next pitch over the wall in left for a two-run homer, making it 6-5.

Both starting pitchers departed after three innings. West gave up five runs on seven hits and struck out four. Mock (3-7) allowed six runs on seven hits.

Baker singled home Ramirez, who had led off the fifth with a double, for a two-run lead. Ramirez’s sacrifice fly and Baker’s RBI single made it 9-5 in the sixth.

Zimmerman drove in a run with an infield single in the eighth.

NOTES: The outing was West’s shortest in 17 career starts. … The Nationals added LHP Victor Garate to the roster before Friday’s game. Garate was claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers to complete an Aug. 30 trade for IF Ronnie Belliard. Washington also activated C Jesus Flores from the 15-day disabled list, but he is still strengthening a right shoulder injury and will initially be limited to pinch-hitting duties.