CJ Abrams homered and drove in two runs and the visiting Washington Nationals extended their winning streak to a season-high five games with a 7-5 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday.
Washington’s Jesse Winker reached base four times, scoring a run and driving in another. Nationals starter Jake Irvin (5-5) gave up one run on six hits and a walk in six innings while notching five strikeouts. Kyle Finnegan yielded a run in the ninth inning but earned his 19th save.
Gio Urshela had a two-run double for the Tigers, while Matt Vierling and Riley Greene hit solo homers.
Detroit starter Reese Olson (1-8) gave up five runs, four earned, and 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings. He fanned three and walked two.
Vierling led off the bottom of the first inning with his eighth homer of the season.
Abrams drove a hanging curveball over the right-center-field wall in the third to tie it up. His 11th homer came with two outs.
Washington’s Luis Garcia Jr. reached on a one-out infield single in the fourth. Joey Meneses followed with a ground-rule double to put two runners in scoring position. Keibert Ruiz’s sacrifice fly scored Garcia, giving the visitors a 2-1 lead.
The Nationals scored three more runs in the fifth. Jacob Young led off with a double, and Abrams drilled a ground-rule double to bring him home. Abrams scored on Winker’s one-out single.
Eddie Rosario’s single put runners on the corners. Garcia hit into a fielder’s choice as Winker held at third. Garcia then attempted a steal of second, and when catcher Carson Kelly made a throwing error, Winker scored.
The Nationals loaded the bases in the eighth with no outs on an error and two walks. Mason Englert replaced Joey Wentz on the mound and recorded three outs, leaving the runners stranded.
Detroit then scored three runs in the bottom of the inning to cut the deficit to 5-4. Consecutive singles by Wenceel Perez, Mark Canha and Colt Keith scored the first of the frame, and Urshela then lashed a two-run double.
Washington made it 7-4 in the top of the ninth. Lane Thomas singled, moved up on a Winker walk and scored on Garcia’s one-out single. Meneses then singled to bring home Rosario.
Greene’s one-out long ball in the ninth, his 12th homer of the year, pulled Detroit within two. However, Finnegan set down the next two batters, sending the Tigers to their fifth loss in six games.
Washington will shoot for a sweep of the three-game series Thursday afternoon.
–Field Level Media
