Cabrera HRs Help Marlins Beat Nationals

MIAMI (AP) _ Miguel Cabrera hit two solo home runs and Josh Willingham added another to help the Florida Marlins defeat the Washington Nationals 5-3 on Sunday. <br/><br/>Willingham homered for the third

Sunday, July 15th 2007, 4:02 pm

By: News On 6

MIAMI (AP) _ Miguel Cabrera hit two solo home runs and Josh Willingham added another to help the Florida Marlins defeat the Washington Nationals 5-3 on Sunday.

Willingham homered for the third straight game. Cabrera, who withdrew from Monday night's All-Star Home Run Derby with a shoulder injury, has hit three homers in his past two games.

Scott Olsen (7-7) gave up two runs and six hits in five innings. He walked five and struck out two and improved his home record to 5-2.

Kevin Gregg was the fourth Marlins reliever and earned his 20th save in 21 chances.

Jason Simontacchi (6-7) allowed five runs and nine hits in 4 1-3 innings. He walked four (one intentionally), struck out four and allowed home runs on the first pitch of the second and third innings.

Dmitri Young had a single and two RBIs for Washington.

Willingham hit a 403-foot home run to right-center leading off the second. It was his 14th home run of the season.

Cabrera hit his 20th homer to start the third and give Florida a 2-1 lead. He then opened the fifth with a 471-foot upper-deck home run to left that gave the Marlins a 4-2 cushion.

Cabrera also homered in Florida's 5-2 win on Saturday night.

Miguel Olivo's RBI single with one out in the fifth gave Florida a 5-2 lead and chased Simontacchi.

Young's sacrifice fly in the third scored Simontacchi to tie it at 1. Simontacchi led off with a single on an 0-2 pitch and advanced on Ronnie Belliard's walk and Ryan Zimmerman's single.

Florida went ahead 3-1 when Hanley Ramirez doubled home Alfredo Amezaga with two outs in the fourth. Amezaga had tripled with one out.

The Nationals got within 3-2 in the fifth when Felipe Lopez's two-out, bases-loaded single scored Nook Logan, who had doubled to lead off the inning. Belliard, who singled, was thrown out at the plate on the play by center fielder Amezaga to end the inning.

Young's single off Matt Lindstrom in the seventh pulled Washington within 5-3.

The Marlins have hit at least three homers in three consecutive games for the first time since April 3-5, 2003.

Notes: Cabrera's 21 career homers against Washington are the most he has hit against any opponent. He has nine career multihomer games. ... Simontacchi and Boston's Tim Wakefield are the only two major league starters to make at least 10 starts and get a decision in each game.... Total attendance for the three-game series was 44,569.