Nationals 3, Marlins 2: Bryce Harper had a three-run homer among his three hits to lift host Washington in the opener of a four-game series.

Gio Gonzalez (11-7) celebrated his 28th birthday with six strong innings, allowing two runs on seven hits to win for the fourth time in five starts as the Nationals pulled within five games of Cincinnati for the National League's second wild card with nine games to play.

Drew Storen and Tyler Clippard each pitched a scoreless inning before closer Rafael Soriano notched his 42nd save for Washington, which was held off the scoreboard after Harper's first-inning blast. Ryan Zimmerman also had three hits as Washington improved to 14-4 in September.

Henderson Alvarez (4-5) lasted five innings for Miami, allowing three runs on seven hits. Ed Lucas went 3-for-4 with an RBI single for the Marlins, who lost for the seventh time in their last eight meetings with the Nationals.

Miami jumped on top two batters into the game when Donovan Solano doubled and scored on Lucas' single, but Washington offered a quick response when Harper jumped on a 2-2 breaking ball from Alvarez to launch his 20th homer for a 3-1 edge. The Marlins pulled within a run in the sixth when Justin Ruggiano followed Giancarlo Stanton's double with one of his own.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Nationals CF Denard Span went 0-for-4 to snap his career-best 29-game hitting streak, which was one short of Washington's team mark held by Zimmerman. ... Lucas has registered multiple hits in five consecutive games, during which he is batting .478 (11-for-23). ... Harper became the second player in major-league history (Tony Conigliaro, 1964-65) with two 20-homer seasons before the age of 21.