WASHINGTON (AP) — Jose Tena had two hits including a home run, Patrick Corbin pitched six innings and the Washington Nationals beat the Miami Marlins 4-1 on Saturday.
Joey Gallo and Juan Yepez also homered for Washington, which has won three of four, and Keibert Ruiz had two hits.
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Miami Marlins starting pitcher Valente Bellozo throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Miami Marlins' Jonah Bride runs towards home to score a run on a single by Otto Lopez during the second inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Nationals' Joey Gallo celebrates his home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Nationals' Juan Yepez takes a lead from first base during the first inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Nationals shortstop Nasim Nunez leaps for a ball that went for a single by Miami Marlins' Javier Sanoja during the second inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Nationals shortstop Nasim Nunez blows a bubble as he stands on the field during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Nationals starting pitcher Patrick Corbin throws during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Nationals starting pitcher Patrick Corbin throws during the second inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Corbin (6-13) allowed a run on three hits with a walk and six strikeouts. He didn't allow a hit after the second inning and retired 13 of his last 15 batters. Corbin has won four of his past five starts, two of them against the Marlins, and has lowered his ERA by nearly half a run to 5.45.
“I think I've just kind of located a lot better, have gotten some more strikeouts which helps, keeps the ball out of the infield or out of the outfield where they can get hits,” Corbin said. “Not walking as many guys. Just a combination of all that and locating fastball and not really getting beat on that pitch as much."
Kyle Finnegan pitched the ninth for his 38th save, third most in the majors.
Otto Lopez had two hits and the lone RBI for the Marlins, who have lost five of six.
Miami starter Valente Bellozo (2-4) gave up three runs on six hits — two of them homers — over 5 1/3 innings.
“I thought he was good,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said of Bellozo. “Lot of strikes. Kept us in the game. The solo home run we can always live with. It's the walks and that type of thing that gets us trouble but I thought he didn't do any of that. He did really well."
Gallo tied the score 1-1 in the bottom of the second when he sent a 2-0 Bellozo pitch into the second deck in right.
Washington took a 2-1 lead in the fourth. Tena singled, stole second and scored on Ruiz's single over the first-base bag.
Tena made it 3-1 with one-out home run in the sixth, ending Bellozo's day.
“He’s a very, very good player overall, but a very good hitter,” Gallo said of Tena. “To hit that ball out ... it was like a curveball down and away and he’s able to hit it out to right center.”
Tena, 23, is 13-for-36 (.361) in his past nine games, hitting safely in eight of them. Since joining the Nationals on Aug. 10 from Triple-A Rochester he leads the team with 12 multi-hit games.
Yepez homered in the eighth.
The youthful Nationals are last in the National League with 125 homers in 148 games.
“We're hoping that some of these guys as they get more mature will be able to drive the ball a little bit more consistently,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “Right now it's just about working good at-bats, trying not to chase, teaching them how to get the ball in the zone more than anything.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Marlins: RHP Sandy Alcantara (Tommy John surgery) threw a bullpen session Saturday and is slated to throw live batting practice Tuesday in Miami.
Nationals: SS CJ Abrams missed his second straight game with a sore left shoulder.
UP NEXT
Miami RHP Adam Oller (1-3, 5.40 ERA) opposes Washington LHP MacKenzie Gore (8-12, 4.34), who allowed one run on one hit in six innings against the Marlins on Sept. 4, to close the series.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Miami Marlins starting pitcher Valente Bellozo throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Miami Marlins' Jonah Bride runs towards home to score a run on a single by Otto Lopez during the second inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Nationals' Joey Gallo celebrates his home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Nationals' Juan Yepez takes a lead from first base during the first inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Nationals shortstop Nasim Nunez leaps for a ball that went for a single by Miami Marlins' Javier Sanoja during the second inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Nationals shortstop Nasim Nunez blows a bubble as he stands on the field during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Nationals starting pitcher Patrick Corbin throws during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Nationals starting pitcher Patrick Corbin throws during the second inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Votes were being counted Tuesday in the recent election for a largely powerless local government in Indian-controlled Kashmir, the first since Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government stripped the disputed region of its special status five years ago.
Thousands of additional police and paramilitary soldiers patrolled roads and guarded 28 counting centers as officials tallied votes. A final result was expected to be declared later Tuesday by the region’s electoral office.
Nearly 8.9 million people were eligible to vote in the election that began on Sept. 18 and concluded on Oct. 1. The overall turnout was 64% across the three phases, according to official data.
It was first such vote in a decade and the first since Modi’s Hindu nationalist government scrapped the Muslim-majority region’s long-held semi-autonomy in 2019.
The unprecedented move downgraded and divided the former state into two centrally governed union territories, Ladakh and Jammu-Kashmir. Both are ruled directly by New Delhi through its appointed administrators along with unelected bureaucrats and security setup. The move — which largely resonated in India and among Modi supporters — was mostly opposed in Kashmir as an assault on its identity and autonomy amid fears that it would pave way for demographic changes in the region.
The region has since been on edge with civil liberties curbed and media gagged.
India and Pakistan each administer a part of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety. The nuclear-armed rivals have fought two of their three wars over the territory since they gained independence from British colonial rule in 1947.
Early results may give an indication of the vote's direction. However, exit polls by major television channels in last two days projected the regional National Conference emerging as a single largest party followed by the Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. Such mandate is likely to be seen as a referendum against Modi's 2019 move.
The National Conference fought the election in alliance with India’s main opposition Congress party.
Their coalition may still need support of some seats to form the government, that is likely to come from Peoples Democratic Party, another Kashmiri group. Five seats are appointed and 90 elected, so a party or coalition would need at least 48 of the 95 total seats to form a government.
The vote will allow Kashmir to have its own truncated government and a regional legislature, called an assembly, rather than being directly under New Delhi’s rule.
However, there will be a limited transition of power from New Delhi to the assembly as Kashmir will remain a “union territory” — directly controlled by the federal government — with India’s Parliament as its main legislator. Kashmir’s statehood must be restored for the new government to have powers similar to other states of India.
The region’s last assembly election was held in 2014, after which the BJP for the first time ruled in a coalition with the local Peoples Democratic Party. But the government collapsed in 2018, after the BJP withdrew from the coalition.
Polls in the past have been marked with violence, boycotts and vote-rigging, even though India called them a victory over separatism.
Militants in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir have been fighting New Delhi’s rule since 1989. Many Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels’ goal of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.
India insists the Kashmir militancy is Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Pakistan denies the charge, and many Kashmiris consider it a legitimate freedom struggle. Tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and government forces have been killed in the conflict.
This version has corrected that there are 95 seats, 90 of them elected and five appointed, and 48 would be a majority.
Follow AP's Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific
Election officers count votes for the recent election at a counting center in Jammu, India, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
Election officers count votes for the recent election at a counting center in Jammu, India, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
Electoral counting officials count postal ballots at a counting centre for the assembly election in Jammu, India, Tuesday, Oct. 8,2024. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
Election officers count votes for the recent election at a counting center in Jammu, India, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
Election officers count votes for the recent election at a counting center in Jammu, India, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
Election officials carry electronic voting machines at a counting center for the recent election in Jammu, in Jammu, India, Tuesday, Oct. 8,2024. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
A polling official displays a sealed electronic voting machine to polling agents as they count the votes in the recent election for a local government in Indian-controlled Kashmir on the outskirts of Srinagar, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)
A political party representative watches as polling officials count the votes in the recent election for a local government in Indian-controlled Kashmir on the outskirts of Srinagar, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)
Political party representatives watch as polling officials count the votes in the recent election for a local government in Indian-controlled Kashmir on the outskirts of Srinagar, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)
Political party representatives watch as polling officials count the votes in the recent election for a local government in Indian-controlled Kashmir on the outskirts of Srinagar, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)
Supporters of Indian National Congress and National Conference party celebrate early leads in election outside a counting center on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)
Supporters of Indian National Congress and National Conference party shout slogans as they celebrate early leads in election outside the counting center on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)
Political party representatives watch as polling officials count the votes in the recent election for a local government in Indian-controlled Kashmir on the outskirts of Srinagar, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)
Election officers count votes for the recent election at a counting center in Jammu, India, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
People queue up to cast their vote at a polling booth during the final phase of an election to choose a local government in Indian-controlled Kashmir, in Jammu, India, Tuesday, Oct.1, 2024. (AP Photos/Channi Anand)
An Indian paramilitary soldier guards outside a vote counting center the recent election on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)
An Indian paramilitary soldier guards outside a vote counting center the recent election on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, Oct.8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)
Indian police guard outside a vote counting center for the recent election on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)
Media persons wait outside a vote counting center the recent election on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)
People queue up to cast their vote at a polling booth during the third phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election in Jammu, India, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photos/Channi Anand)
Kashmiri women queue up at a polling booth to cast their vote during the final phase of an election to choose a local government in Indian-controlled Kashmir, north of Srinagar, Tuesday, Oct.1, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)
Paramilitary soldiers guard as people queue up to cast their vote at a polling booth during the final phase of an election to choose a local government in Indian-controlled Kashmir, in Jammu, India, Tuesday, Oct.1, 2024. (AP Photos/Channi Anand)
