Mike Rabelo received the benefit of a base hit on Sunday morning, before the Marlins even played a game. The official scorer overturned an error on Washington second baseman Felipe Lopez in the sixth inning of Florida's 6-5 walk-off win on Saturday.

With the infield in, Rabelo tapped a grounder to the first-base side of second. Lopez shifted over and got his glove on it, but he couldn't hold on. The ball rolled in the direction of Nationals first baseman Nick Johnson, who stretched with his foot on the bag.

The ball rolled agonizingly slowly toward Johnson, and Rabelo sprinted to first safely. Either way, Rabelo was getting an RBI. Now he has a hit, which raised his batting average from .160 to .200.

"Obviously, I'm struggling at the plate," said the 28-year-old, who opened the season on the disabled list because of a sprained left knee. "I feel comfortable, but I'm just swinging at a lot of balls. Throughout my career, I swing a lot. I'm just swinging at more balls than I should. But it should work its way out."

A switch-hitter, Rabelo was obtained from Detroit in the blockbuster deal last December.

Since coming off the DL on April 11, he's seen a bulk of the playing time, although Matt Treanor started on Sunday in the series finale against the Nationals.

Rabelo has started six of the past nine games.

He was injured midway through Spring Training, and he is striving to get back into a playing routine. Admittedly, Rabelo is trying to do too much to impress.

"I'm pressing a little bit, but it's still April," he said. "I'm pressing behind the plate, too."

In the ninth inning on Saturday, Rabelo was charged with a passed ball on closer Kevin Gregg's offering that sailed to the backstop.

"I need to just chill," he said bluntly. "I missed the beginning of the season and half of Spring Training because I was hurt. I'm just trying to do too much."

Hitting coach Jim Presley is impressed by Rabelo's competitiveness and desire to fight through a rough start.

"If you've got any kind of competitiveness to you, that's what you try to do," Presley said of Rabelo wanting to show that he belongs. "He will be all right.

"As long as he is hitting a line drive or two and picking up some RBIs and getting those base hits when we need them, he will be fine. He doesn't have to hit .300. If he is catching good, throwing guys out and getting us some two-out [hits], he will be fine."