The Nationals had to work all the way to the 11th inning, but they finally came out on top in an 8-5 thriller.
Jorbit Vivas was right in the middle of everything. He piled up four hits, drove in a run and scored once, but he also committed a costly error that led to two unearned runs. Without that miscue, the Nats would have walked away with a 3-1 win and never needed extras.
The big swings came from elsewhere. Daylen Lile opened the scoring with an early two-run homer, and Jose Tena delivered the knockout blow with a two-run double in the 11th.
“A lot of tough decisions tonight. … Lovelady had some unluck.
… A lot to unpack tonight in that game. We have to clean up the defense.
We’re lucky we won with four errors. But I think that was a one-off.”
- manager Blake Butera said
Washington’s defense was messy overall, with four errors on the night, but Dylan Crews made a pair of huge plays in the field. He reached over the wall for a catch and later threw a runner out at second base in extra innings.
The win clinched the series for the Nats and gave them victory No. 73. It also ensured they won’t finish with 90 losses, while marking an 11.2 percent jump from last year’s 66-win total with seven games left on the schedule.
Even with the defensive mistakes and the automatic runner in extras, Washington’s bullpen managed to limit the damage. Over 5.0 innings, the relievers allowed just one earned run, though the club was still saddled with two blown saves, pushing that season total to 41.
Andrew Alvarez set the tone with 6.0 scoreless innings on 92 pitches. He allowed five hits, walked one and struck out eight, lowering his ERA to 3.17. That mark ranks 26th best in baseball among pitchers with at least 100 innings.
Riley Cornelio earned the win, Will Dion picked up the save and stranded the bases loaded in the 11th, and Yovanny Cruz did his part by keeping a run from scoring out of the bullpen.
The Nationals now close out the three-game set tomorrow afternoon with a chance to sweep. After that, they head to Detroit for a three-game series.
In Other News...
Josiah Grays Long-Awaited Return Means More Than One Inning
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The return mattered beyond the box score because it represented a new checkpoint for a pitcher who has spent well over two years fighting to get back. Grays outing in the ninth inning gave the Nationals a fresh reason to think about what comes next, even if the bigger picture around his recovery still has a few chapters left to write. [Read more 🡒]
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Nationals Have A Late Season Chance Fans Should Care About
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Jake Irvin gets the ball in a game that carries more than the usual end-of-season weight, because Washington is still sorting out how pieces fit beyond this stretch run. The Nationals have a modest run differential and a pitching staff that has not matched the bats, but a win here would keep them in control of their own path over the final week. For a team trying to show progress while avoiding the basement in the NL East, that kind of opportunity is worth paying attention to. [Read more 🡒]