MIAMI – Preston Wilson homered and had five RBIs and Nick Johnson added a home run and four RBIs to help the Washington Nationals beat the Florida Marlins 11-7 on Wednesday night and sweep the three-game series.

Miguel Cabrera had three hits, including a homer, and four RBIs for the Marlins, who lost their season-high sixth straight, eighth of nine and 12th in 14. Rookie Jeremy Hermida also had three hits, including his second home run.

Esteban Loaiza (12-10) allowed six runs and 10 hits in six innings. His streak of 33 2-3 innings without issuing a walk – covering five starts – ended with a base on balls to Cabrera with two outs in the fifth.

Brian Moehler (6-12) allowed seven runs and six hits in 3 1-3 innings. He has lost six straight decisions and hasn’t won since July 20.

The victory assured Washington (81-78) of finishing the season at least .500 and enabled the team to reach 40 road wins for the seventh time in the franchise’s 37 seasons.

Eleven Nationals batted in a seven-run fourth that built a 9-2 lead. Marlon Byrd’s run-scoring double, Gary Bennett’s RBI single, Johnson’s two-run single and Wilson’s three-run homer accounted for the runs.

Every National in the starting lineup except the pitcher scored at least once. Wilson, Johnson and Jamey Carroll each had three of Washington’s 15 hits.

Cabrera had a run-scoring single in the first, a two-run single in the third and a leadoff homer in the seventh, his 33rd.

Pinch-hitter Lenny Harris and Chris Aguila had RBI singles in the sixth for Florida.

Notes: Rain pushed back the game’s start 12 minutes to 7:17 p.m. There also was a 14-minute rain delay in the top of the sixth. … Washington outscored Florida 26-8 in the series. … Heading into the season’s final series against Atlanta, the Marlins (80-79) have not been at .500 since July 22.

AP-ES-09-28-05 2247EDT


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