MIAMI - As the Washington Nationals prepared to take the field with a three-run lead in the ninth, they braced themselves for another comeback bid by the feisty Miami Marlins. This time the Nationals held on — barely. Drew Storen allowed two runs before securing the final out for his first save since August 2013, and Washington averted a series sweep by snapping Miamis six-game winning streak with a 4-3 victory Wednesday. "Its not always going to be pretty," Storen said. "Its about getting it done. Thats all that matters." Manager Matt Williams decided to rest closer Rafael Soriano, who hasnt pitched since he blew a three-run ninth-inning lead in Washingtons loss Monday. That left Storen to try to finish off the Marlins, who had won nine of their past 10 games to rejoin the playoff race. "Thats a good team over there," the Nationals Ian Desmond said. "In the dugout going out for the bottom of the ninth we were telling each other, Hey, weve got to focus and finish this thing out. For a while weve seen the Marlins getting better. This series was evidence of that. That bottom of the ninth was evidence of that." NL RBI leader Giancarlo Stanton led off the ninth with his 24th homer, and Adeiny Hechavarria doubled home a run. Storen retired Reid Johnson on a forceout with two on for the final out. "I was happy to see us come back and put some pressure on them," Stanton said. "I really envisioned us tying that game up." Tanner Roark (11-6), who allowed one run in seven innings, won his fourth start in a row for the first-place Nationals. "Were pushing toward winning the NL East," Roark said. "Its fun to watch this team, especially when you have four days off and youre watching from the dugout." How did Roark feel watching the bottom of the ninth? "A little nervous," he said with a smile, "but we knew Drew had it on lockdown." Soriano will be available Thursday when Washington plays host to Philadelphia, Williams said. Jayson Werth, back in the lineup after missing one start because of a sore right ankle, put the Nationals ahead to stay with a sacrifice fly in their three-run eighth. Desmond added a two-out, two-run double off A.J. Ramos. Brad Hand (2-3) allowed three runs in seven-plus innings. ON DECK The Nationals begin an eight-game homestand and a four-game series against the Phillies on Thursday, when Gio Gonzalez is scheduled to start against Cliff Lee. Miami opens a four-game home series against Cincinnati on Thursday when Tom Koehler pitches against Johnny Cueto. Koehler is 4-3 with a 2.75 ERA at home this year, and 3-4 with a 4.96 ERA on the road. WORKING THE PHONES With Thursdays trade deadline looming, the Marlins and Nationals are both looking for an upgrade. Thats a change for the Marlins thanks to the recent surge that put them back in the playoff picture. Theyre seeking a starting pitcher, presidential of baseball operations Mike Hill said. "Ten days ago people may have thought we were sellers, and they were coming at us one way. Now its completely 180," Hill said. "Were going to do our best to try to upgrade, but were not going to be foolish. Were not going to be shortsighted." The Nationals are also potential buyers. "Do we want to have somebody thats going to make an impact? Sure," Williams said. "That may not be available. There are some guys were taking a hard look at." MARLINS MOVE Before the game, Marlins infielder Ed Lucas was recalled from Triple-A New Orleans. He had been sent down July 20. "I must be a pretty bad teammate if as soon as Im gone they rattle off nine out of 10," Lucas said with a chuckle. "It kind of makes you question yourself a little bit." Pat Gillick Jersey . 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell while figuring out which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Joe Carter Jersey . 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X-rays on Cains bruised forearm were negative. He was hit when Sanchez led off the fourth with a groundout.MINSK, Belarus -- Viktor Tikhonov scored twice and Alex Ovechkin added a goal and two assists Monday as Russia routed the United States 6-1 for its third straight victory at the ice hockey world championships. Nikolai Kolyomin opened the scoring for Russia and Alex Ovechkin beat veteran goaltender Tim Thomas with backhand on a penalty shot in the first period for his third goal of the tournament. Ovechkin set up both of Tikhonovs goals in the second, with Yevgeni Kuznetsov and Sergei Plotnikov also scoring for Russia. Justin Abdelkader pulled one back for the U.S. to make it 3-1. Russia leads Group G with nine points from three games, while the U.S. has six. Earlier, France overcame Slovakia 5-3 for another upset victory and host Belarus stunned Switzerland 4-3. France followed up its upset win over Canada in its opening game by coming from 3-1 down to beat Slovakia. Damien Fleury scored the winner on a rebound with 3:41 left in regulation to complete the comeback. Antoine Roussel added his second goal into an empty net for Frances fifth. Baptiste Amar also scored twice for France. "I feel like our team has a lot of character," Roussel said. "We creaated our chances on the power play.dddddddddddd. We were so aggressive and we didnt take so many shots." Ladislav Nagy had two goals for Slovakia, with captain Miroslav Satan also scoring. France has five points from three games in Group A, while Slovakia remained on one. "Were not ready to give it up," Satan said. "The tournament is not over yet." Mikhail Grabovski netted the decisive goal with 2:06 remaining in the final period in Belarus second victory at the worlds to thrill 15,000 home fans at the Minsk Arena. "Im really proud of my boys," Belarus coach Glen Hanlon said. "The huge support that we have from our fans was likely the difference for us." Goals from Yannick Weber, Reto Schappi and Etienne Froidevaux had given Switzerland a 3-2 lead in the third but Belarus equalized through Sergei Kostitsys second goal. It was the third straight loss for Switzerland, last years runner-up. "Its a difficult situation for us right now we have to stay positive and look forward but it wont be easy," Switzerland coach Sean Simpson said. Belarus has six points in Group B while Switzerland is on zero. ' ' '