Marlins' Willis wins 20th

The Florida pitcher tied St. Louis' Carpenter for the league lead in victories.

WASHINGTON -- That confounding, high-kick delivery. That flat-brimmed cap. That "Gee, this is fun!" smile.

Now Dontrelle Willis can add "20-game winner" to his list of trademarks.

Willis became the first pitcher in Marlins history to collect 20 victories in a season, allowing four hits over six innings to help Florida beat the Washington Nationals 12-1 on Wednesday night in a game between clubs chasing Houston in the National League wild card race.

Florida is one game behind the Astros, while Philadelphia is 2 1/2 and the Nationals are 3 1/2 back.

Willis improved to 20-8 with a 2.52 ERA, tying St. Louis' Chris Carpenter (20-4) for the major league lead in wins.

For Willis, this had to rank among the easiest of his victories. He was facing the worst offense in the majors. The Nationals -- down to three regular starting pitchers because of injuries -- pieced together a patchwork of relievers.