"We got (Josh) Johnson starting. That's who we got penciled in, just in case," Gonzalez said, referring to a potential Sept. 29 tiebreaker for the wild card.

But the Marlins are longshots. They trail the New York Mets, who also lost Monday, by five games in the NL wild-card race with six to play. The Marlins' "tragic number" is two -- any combination of Mets victories and Marlins losses equaling that number eliminates Florida.

The Marlins open a three-game series at Shea Stadium on Friday. But for those games to mean anything, they need to sweep the Nationals in a three-game series that begins Tuesday in D.C. and hope the Mets lose to the Cubs all week.

"Yeah, I know it looks uphill," pitcher Joe Nelson said, "but I'm not conceding anything. I watched Villanova beat Georgetown (in the 1985 NCAA college basketball championship game)."

At the very least, the Marlins had a successful season. Picked to finish last in spring training, they've clinched at least a .500 record. They'll guarantee a winning record with one more win.

REDS 7, MARLINS 5: The Marlins' quest for the franchise's first NL East title ended when the Reds scored six runs in the seventh inning. RHP Ricky Nolasco was in line for his 16th win before the bullpen blew the lead.