could be ramping up to return on Columbus upcoming road

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MIAMI -- Stephen Strasburg against the woebegone Miami Marlins figured to be no contest, and it was. Miami won in a rout. Giancarlo Stanton tied a career high with five RBIs, including a three-run homer off Strasburg, and the Marlins broke an eight-game losing streak by beating the Washington Nationals 11-2 Tuesday night. Both benches and bullpens cleared briefly in the fourth inning when Marlins catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia and the Nationals Ian Desmond engaged in a heated, nose-to-nose conversation at home plate. Desmond was unhappy that Marlins starter Tom Koehler threw several pitches high and inside. Among the tunes playing in the Miami clubhouse after the victory was Alice Coopers "No More Mr. Nice Guy." "It feels great," Saltalamacchia said. "We faced a great pitcher. It feels great to be able to make him work tonight." Strasburg (1-2) allowed six runs and eight hits in four innings. He fell to 2-3 at Marlins Park with an ERA of 8.61. "Weve put together some pretty good at-bats off him over the last couple of years, and had some good games against him," Miami manager Mike Redmond said. "We had a nice plan. Guys were aggressive. He threw quite a few fastballs early in the count, and we were ready for them." That has often been the approach of hitters against Strasburg so far this season. "They dont want me to get comfortable," the right-hander said. "A lot of the dominant pitchers with swing-and-miss stuff, thats what their approach is going to be. I felt I had a good mindset today. It was one of those days where it seemed like every pitch I threw, they hit it." Koehler (2-1) allowed one hit and five walks in seven scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 1.89. The performance was a welcome change for a team that had an ERA of 6.12 during the losing streak. Desmond became annoyed when he barely avoided being hit by an inside pitch from Koehler. Desmond hollered at Koehler and spat toward the mound. Saltalamacchia then said something to Desmond, and their testy exchange began. Umpire Marty Foster stepped between them, and the confrontation didnt escalate. "I wasnt necessarily thinking that he had intentions of hitting me," Desmond said. "It wasnt intended to escalate to what it did, but was heat-of-the-moment stuff." Koehler said he went into the game mindful of the need to pitch inside against the Nationals. "Guys tend to get a little upset when they get crowded," Koehler said. "They had been attacking fastballs over the plate. Its our job as starters to make sure they know thats our part of the plate. Weve been beaten inside too many times late in the game in the last couple of series because we havent established inside." Stanton homered in the first inning, hit a two-run double in the fifth and scored three times. He came into the game ranked second in the majors in RBIs and now has 21. Hes batting .429 with runners in scoring position. Marcell Ozuna tied a career high with four hits, and Casey McGehee had three of the Marlins 15 hits. "We talked Monday about having guys step up," Redmond said. "We saw the entire team step up. We feel like our lineup can do a lot of damage, and I think you saw that tonight." The Marlins beat Washington for the first time in five tries this season, and for only the third time in 16 meetings since July. Zach Walters hit his first career homer in the ninth for the Nationals, who totalled five hits. Miami led 3-0 before Strasburg got an out. Christian Yelich and Ozuna singled, and Stanton followed with a homer to centre field. The Marlins added three more runs in the second. Adeiny Hechavarria led off with a triple on his 25th birthday, Ozuna singled home a run and McGehee hit a two-out, two-run single. Strasburg struck out five to increase his NL-leading total to 33, but his ERA rose to 6.00. The Marlins added five runs in the fifth to make it 11-0. "One of those games," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. "But nonetheless its important that we play well, and we didnt. Thats troubling." NOTES: Nationals OF Denard Span (concussion) might be ready for a rehabilitation assignment by the end of the week, Williams said. ... Nationals OF Nate McLouth returned to the lineup after sitting out two games because of a sore left knee. ... Ozuna was back in the lineup after missing one start with a bruised foot. ... The Nationals Steven Souza singled for his first major league hit. ... Miami RHP Jose Fernandez tries to improve to 12-0 at home when he pitches Wednesday against Tanner Roark. Jihad Ward Raiders Jersey . After all, the No. 8 seed is chasing far loftier goals. Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., defeated American Jack Sock 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in Wimbledons second round on Thursday. Nate Allen Raiders Jersey . And Richard Bachman, their rookie goalie, is facing a penalty shot a few seconds after the opening face-off. No pressure, right? Bachman stood his ground against Zack Kassian and saw the puck dribble off the Canuck rookies stick, then settled in and backstopped the Stars to a 5-2 win over Vancouver Tuesday that put Dallas in first place in the Pacific Division. http://www.cheapraidersjerseyspro.com/B ... rs-Jersey/. -- David Price didnt think he would be in Port Charlotte this spring. Donald Penn Raiders Jersey . The Mets made the announcement Sunday night. Parnell blew a save on opening day against Washington and the next day it was revealed he had partially torn right elbow ligament. Derek Carr Raiders Jersey . Tottenham claimed top spot in Group K by winning 2-0 at Tromso after defender Adnan Causevic scored an own goal before Mousa Dembele put the result beyond doubt. Valencia made sure it will finish first in Group A with a 1-0 win at Swansea thanks to an early goal from Dani Parejo.Waivers Dany Heatley (ANA), Steve Pinizzotto (EDM), Magnus Paajarvi (STL), and Matt Hackett (BUF) all cleared waivers on Tuesday. - TSN Boston Bruins Milan Lucic rejoined the team and practiced on Tuesday morning. He missed last nights game against Detroit and hadnt skated with the team since Saturday. Patrice Bergeron, who is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, was also on the ice. - Team Twitter Buffalo Sabres Patrick Kaleta said he is feeling better and had a good practice today after leaving last nights game against Ottawa. He and Jared Cowen crashed into the end boards in the third period. - Team Twitter The team also said that Jhonas Enroth will start in goal on Wednesday against Tampa Bay. Calgary Flames Mikael Backlund took part in his first practice today since having groin surgery. He has been out since late October. - Calgary Sun Columbus Blue Jackets Forward Mark Letestu took part in practice for the second straight day and could be ramping up to return on Columbus upcoming road trip. Letestu has been out since late October with a groin injury. - Fox Sports Ohio Head coach Todd Richards confirmed that Letestu and Cam Atkinson will both travel with the team on their upcoming trip. He also said that Jack Skille is healthy and will play on Wednesday night. - Team Twitter New Jersey Devils The team placed Jacob Josefson (illness) and Stephen Gionta (broken hand) on injured reserve. The team recalled Mike Sislo from Albany (AHL) and he joined the team at practice. - Team Twitter Pittsburgh Penguins Head coach Mike Johnston said that Christian Ehrhoff, Beau Bennett, and Craig Adams are all close to returning.dddddddddddd Those are the three guys that could play tomorrow night, said Johnston. - Team Twitter St. Louis Blues The Blues announced that forward Chris Porter sustained a leg injury during Mondays game against Colorado and has been placed on IR. He will be evaluated in six weeks. - Team Release The team activated goalie Brian Elliott from injured reserve and plan to start him tonight in Nashville. He missed 14 games after suffering a lower-body injury on Nov. 25 - Team Release Tampa Bay Lightning The team recalled goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy from Syracuse (AHL) on Tuesday. - Team Release Toronto Maple Leafs G Jonathan Bernier will be among a small group practicing today in Boston ahead of tomorrows game with the Bruins. Its the first time he has been on the ice since Saturday after battling the flu. -Richard Panik, who missed last nights game in Tampa, skated briefly before the short practice. He experienced no concussion symptoms, according to the Leafs, though his status for Wednesday remains in doubt. -Leo Komarov continues to skate with the team, even taking contact the past couple days. Steve Spott said the coaches are hopeful that he could play tomorrow, but that seems optimistic at best. Komarov still has yet to take part in a full practice and hasnt played since Nov. 29. - Jonas Siegel, TSN With Bernier healthy the team sent G Christopher Gibson back down to the Toronto Marlies (AHL). - Team Twitter Washington Capitals Head coach Barry Trotz said that Brooks Orpik (knee) will be a game-time decision for Thursdays Winter Classic against the Blackhawks. - Team Twitter China Jerseys ' ' '