MIAMI -- Leave it to the birthday guy, 37-year-old left fielder Jayson Werth, to provide a comical perspective to his Washington Nationals' 4-1 win over the Miami Marlins on Friday night.

After Tanner Roark finally solved the Marlins after going 0-3 with an 8.40 ERA in three previous starts against Miami, Werth was asked what he saw from his teammate.

"From left field?" Werth said, answering a question with one of his own. "Man, he looked good from left field."

Werth did say that Marlins starter Justin Nicolino "is a strike-thrower." And the Nationals nailed his strikes in the second inning, when they scored all four of their runs.

Ryan Zimmerman hit a solo homer, and Michael Taylor added a two-run blast as the Nationals pulled six hard-hit balls in that second inning, including consecutive doubles by Anthony Rendon and Wilson Ramos.

The sixth shot in the inning went foul -- a near home run by Werth as the Nationals capitalized on Nicolino's marginal velocity. Zimmerman hit an 88-mph fastball, and Taylor clubbed a 76-mph curve that got too much of the plate.

"I would have loved to have scored more," Nationals manager Dusty Baker said of the Nationals' all-or-nothing offensive performance. "We scored early, and our pitching took over from there."

Roark (3-3) earned the win, striking out seven and allowing six hits and two walks in 6 2/3 innings.

He got stellar relief help from Felipe Rivero, Shawn Kelley and Jonathan Papelbon.

Rivero and Kelley each inherited a base-runner, and each got out of the jam without allowing a run. Kelley has a 0.00 ERA in 19 appearances this season. Since May 9, the Nationals have inherited 19 runners, and none have scored.

Papelbon pitched the ninth for his 12th save of the season.

All that outstanding pitching was bad news for Miami slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who has averaged 32 homers per season over the past five years but has scuffled this month. He went 0-for-4 with a groundout and three punch-outs on Friday, striking out on a check swing, a fastball and a changeup.

That's significant because Stanton is now mired in a 4-for-45 slump and is hitting .214 for the season. In his past four games, he is 0-for-14 with 12 strikeouts.

"He's in a bad streak right now, and we all have those," Marlins third baseman Martin Prado said. "He's working so hard to get back on track."

Stanton's counterpart, Nationals slugger Bryce Harper, went 1-for-3 with a double and his 12th intentional walk of the season. He leads the majors in walks (46) and intentional passes.

Washington (26-16), which leads the division, won its third game in a row. Miami (21-20) has lost three games in a row.

Nicolino (2-2) took the loss, allowing four runs in 5 1/3 innings.

"He was leaving a lot of balls in the middle of the plate," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "He's not a guy who can (get away with) throwing the ball over the middle of the plate. He knows that. He's got to hit edges, spots, change speeds."

After the bad start, Miami cut its deficit to 4-1 when Marcell Ozuna pulled a solo homer to left in the fourth. It was his eighth homer of the season.

But that was all the offense for the Marlins, who have battled the Nationals tough this season, winning five out of 11 games.

It would help Miami greatly if Stanton, who was seen working with hitting coach Barry Bonds before the game, can break out of his malaise.

"He's a big part of our club," Mattingly said of Stanton. "He's going to hit his way out of it. ... He just had a day off. We're going to keep going."

NOTES: Nationals 1B Ryan Zimmerman has hit more homers against the Marlins -- 28 -- than he has against any other team in the majors. ... Marlins LHP Jarlin Garcia was optioned to Double-A Jacksonville. Miami reinstated RHP Edwin Jackson (strained triceps) from the disabled list. Jackson, a reliever, had been out since April 18. ... Garcia, who was called up Sunday, didn't make an appearance and has yet to make his major-league debut. His departure leaves Miami without a lefty in the bullpen, although LHP Mike Dunn (strained forearm) could return in about 10 days. ... Marlins RHP Jose Fernandez, the NL's reigning Player of the Week, will start Saturday against Washington. He had two 11-strikeout games last week, including one against Washington. ... Nationals RHP Stephen Strasburg (7-0) entered Friday tied with Cubs RHP Jake Arrieta (7-0) for most wins in the NL. ... Nationals 2B Daniel Murphy entered Friday leading the majors in batting average at .397, but he went 0-for-4, and his average slipped to .387. ... Marlins 3B Martin Prado, who entered Friday third in the NL batting race at .371, went 1-for-4, and his average slipped to .368.