Nats' fearsome top 4 lights up Miami night with their red-hot bats

MIAMI -- Another day, another homer for Josh Bell.

After placing himself in the Nationals’ record books Monday night at loanDepot park with two homers in a 4-for-6 night, Bell remained hot Tuesday in Washington’s 7-5 win over the Marlins.

It was a power-packed showing for the squad’s No. 3 and 4 hitters, while its top two men flashed their prowess with the bat as well.

CJ Abrams and James Wood both went 2-for-4 with a double on the night. The former scored twice and added a stolen base to his stat line, while the latter knocked in a run and scored once. The top four combined to go 7-for-17 with two homers, six RBIs, five runs scored, two walks and just one strikeout.

On the mound, Washington starter Mitchell Parker turned in a second straight solid start against the Marlins. He built off the momentum of a two-run effort in the Nats’ 10-5 win over Miami in his previous outing last Wednesday, allowing just two runs on four hits and two walks in 7 2/3 innings.

The win marked the seventh in eight games for Washington, which has now won five straight against Miami. The Nats are 7-1 in September, having scored 52 runs, launched 14 homers and notched 33 extra-base hits. They also have a .400 batting average with runners in scoring position.

A leadoff double from Abrams set the table for Washington’s three-run first inning. Wood singled to put two men on for Bell, who hammered a slider to right-center for his 20th homer of the campaign.

“I’m just swinging at good pitches,” Abrams said. “Laying off the ones that’ll get myself out, staying in the middle of the zone and taking the ball wherever it’s pitched.”

Abrams and Wood both rank in the top 10 among National League hitters in doubles -- Wood is sixth with 34, Abrams is tied for seventh with 33.

“It’s definitely momentum,” Abrams said of their chemistry. “We pick each other up, and when we get the job done, people feed off of us. They’re swinging it well behind us, and we’ve got to keep it going.”

Wood -- who’s one of four players this season with 25 homers, 30 doubles and 15 stolen bases (along with Pete Crow-Armstrong, Corbin Carroll and Francisco Lindor) -- pointed to Bell as a guiding influence.

“He’s great,” said Wood, a first-time All-Star this season. “He’s just solid, he’s been solid the whole year. When he shows up, he’s the same guy. I think for a young team, that’s good for us. So we appreciate having him here a lot.”

“I feel like I’m on time right now,” Bell said. “The path is working for me, and it starts with one swing. I think it started in Chicago, so hopefully I can ride the wave and keep getting these types of results. I think we try to prepare. Obviously, pitchers are morphing, changing, adapting. But when things line up, and our work days line up with how pitchers are going to attack us, it just deepens our lineup, gives more opportunities for guys having success.”

The man who hits behind Bell has been on a heater as well since July 21. Entering Tuesday, Lile ranked first among NL rookies in hits, triples and average, while his .901 OPS was second. Meanwhile, his slugging percentage (.529) and on-base percentage (.372) ranked third.

“[We’ve trusted] each other,” Lile said of the Nats' top four. “And build off each other. Just pass it to the next guy. Just allow ourselves to just play our game, not do too much and just try to do everything we can do to contribute to the team.

“CJ, James and then Josh in front of me, they’re not doing anything crazy. They’re just playing their game and sticking to their plan. It makes it a lot easier hitting behind them.”

“‘I’ve got to tell you, those guys, they've been getting good at-bats,” interim manager Miguel Cairo said. “They’re picking each other up. They’re talking about hitting, they’re talking about baserunning, they’re talking about little things of the game. It’s nice to see them getting the results of all of the hard work they’ve been putting in.”