Washington Nationals Win in Extra-Inning Marathon Against Cincinnati Reds, 2-1

The Nationals are for real, folks, and they proved that yet again on Friday night against the Reds.

At 6-2, the team leads the NL East. The 6-2 mark is also the best record through the first eight games of the season since the team moved to Washington in 2004.

Jordan Zimmermann held the Reds to just one run through six innings, while Bronson Arroyo was able to keep the Nationals scoreless through 7.1 innings.

Ironically, Zimmermann's toughest out was his counterpart. Arroyo singled in the third inning and also drove in the game's first run with a sacrifice fly to center field in the fifth.

With the score 1-0 in the eighth, setup man Bill Bray entered the game for the Reds in hopes of preserving the lead.

Pinch-hitter Xavier Nady had other plans.

Nady, who was pinch-hitting for Chad Tracy, launched a ball over the left field wall to tie the score at 1-1. It was his fifth career pinch-hit home run.

The game would then continue on into the bottom of the 13th, when Jayson Werth decided that he'd had enough.

With closer Sean Marshall on the hill and the bases loaded, Werth swung at a 1-2 pitch and produced a walk-off RBI single.

Marshall recorded just one out in the game.

The walk-off victory marks the second straight walk-off win for the Nationals, who are proving that resiliency and a little bit of luck are enough to win games.

If the pitching (1.92 team ERA) and timely hitting can continue for the Nationals, they will be well on their way to earning a playoff spot this season.