Wang leads Nats past Marlins, 4-3 Sunday, September 18, 2011 4:25 p.m. Updated at 6:02 p.m. By Mark Zuckerman Nationals Insider CSNwashington.com The way he's throwing these days, it's easy to forget just how far Chien-Ming Wang has come in a short time. Only two months ago, Wang was laboring through a couple of rehab starts at Class AAA, raising some questions about his ability to ever recapture the form it would require to win again at the big-league level. "In Syracuse when he was rehabbing, you saw glimpses of it, but the velocity wasn't there," said Tommy Milone, who has now shared a rotation spot with Wang in both the minors and majors. "He was still mid-80s, and his sinker was working occasionally. I think now, just from throwing every fifth day, he's back to what he used to be." If Wang hasn't completely resurrected himself into the pitcher that won 19 games for the Yankees in both 2006 and 2007, he sure seems close to it. And during the Nationals' 4-3 victory over the Marlins Sunday afternoon, he took another key step toward completing that comeback, recording 20 outs and throwing 93 pitches for the first time in three years. It was by no means a perfect outing, and it certainly ended on a sour note -- Brett Hayes belted a two-run homer with two outs in the top of the seventh -- but it did provide further evidence of how much Wang has progressed and how he has positioned himself to return to the Nationals next season as a key member of the rotation. "I've said all along: Every time he goes out there, I've seen a little bit of improvement," manager Davey Johnson said. I think the main thing is he's starting to trust that he's healthy. He's throwing more quality pitches. "Even the home run he gave up in the seventh inning had great sink on it, and the hitter just kind of cheated and caught it out front. I still liked the way he threw it. And I think the best is still yet to come with him." Are the Nationals as an organization convinced that will be the case? More and more, they sound like they're prepared to make a strong push to re-sign Wang (a pending free agent) after the season ends next week. "I've kind of had that thinking all along," Johnson said. Wang -- who earned $2 million from the Nationals last season without ever appearing in so much as a minor-league game, and then re-signed this year for another $1 million guaranteed with plenty of incentives that he's already secured -- could have a few other suitors this time around. But the Taiwanese right-hander also appears to feel a sense of loyalty toward the only big-league organization that was willing to sign him two years ago and stuck with him throughout his rehab from major shoulder surgery. "Hopefully, I can come back here," he said through interpreter John Hsu. "The decision is made by the team, but personally, I would like to come back. ... I really appreciate their patience the last two years. Hopefully in the future, I can win more games for them." Sunday's performance netted Wang his third victory in 10 starts with the Nationals, though his composite stats seem less significant right now than his numbers on a game-by-game basis. Perhaps the most telling sign of Wang's improvement is in his strikeout-to-walk ratio. In his first seven outings, he issued 13 walks while striking out only nine. Over his last three starts, he's recorded 12 strikeouts without walking anyone. "Every game I have to make little adjustments," he said. "But today's outing, I thought I was pretty good, because I got a first-pitch strikes and the breaking ball was good." Through four innings Sunday, the Marlins hit only two balls out of the infield against Wang: opposing pitcher Brad Hand's single to center in the third and Greg Dobbs' flyout to center in the fourth. By that point, Wang's teammates had staked him to a 4-0 lead, thanks once again to the performance of rookie Chris Marrero in the clutch. Marrero delivered twice on Sunday. He lofted a sacrifice fly in the second (his third in 21 big-league games, already tied for fifth on the roster). And he blooped a double to right in the fourth, notching his eighth RBI over his last 10 games. "I've been put in a lot of RBI spots with men on third," the rookie first baseman said. "And I've been fortunate to get the run in." Given that four-run lead, Wang was able to attack hitters without too much fear. He did surrender a solo homer to Gaby Sanchez in the fifth, then the two-run shot to Hayes that ended his afternoon in the seventh. No worries, though, because Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen sealed the deal from there, combining to retire all seven batters they faced in preserving the one-run victory. Afterward, Wang was on the receiving end of handshakes and congratulations. He also was the recipient of plenty of praise from fellow Nationals who sure sound like they want him to be a key participant on the 2012 roster. "Velocity is not where it was when he was in New York," said outfielder Jonny Gomes, who used to face Wang regularly as a member of the Rays. "But he's become a smarter pitcher, using his other stuff. He's doing a great job. Things are looking up for him. Take this off-season, strengthen that shoulder and it will be good to get him back on our team. "He's going to be at the top end of the rotation, absolutely." Mark Zuckerman also blogs about the Nationals at natsinsider.com. Contact him at [email protected] and on Twitter @MarkZuckerman. http://tinyurl.com/62y4284 --

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