Drew Millas’ tiebreaking RBI double in the 11th inning helped the Washington Nationals secure a 7-4 comeback victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday in Anaheim, Calif.
With automatic runner Brady House starting on second base, Millas followed Daylen Lile’s single with a double to left to make it 5-4. One out later, CJ Abrams (two hits, three RBIs) drilled a two-run triple to right off losing pitcher Connor Brogdon (1-1).
In his third inning of work, Kyle Finnegan (1-2) picked up the win with a scoreless bottom of the 11th for Washington, which won the three-game set 2-1 and finished 4-5 on its West Coast road trip.
Down 4-3 in the ninth against Angels closer Kenley Jansen, the Nationals pulled even on Jacob Young’s RBI single. Lile (three hits, two runs) led off with a double to right, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Millas and scored on Young’s single to left. The blown save was Jansen’s first of the season.
The Angels broke a 3-3 tie in the seventh when Luis Rengifo hit a one-out triple to right field and scored on Jose Ferrer’s wild pitch with Taylor Ward (three hits) at the plate.
Los Angeles grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first as Nolan Schanuel drew a one-out walk and scored on Ward’s RBI double off Nationals starter Mitchell Parker.
The Nationals pulled even in the fourth on House’s two-out double to right field off starter Jack Kochanowicz, scoring Nathaniel Lowe, who had walked.
Washington took a 2-1 lead in the fifth on an unconventional double play that was grounded into by Luis Garcia Jr. With the bases loaded, he hit a hard grounder to Los Angeles first baseman Nolan Schanuel. Schanuel stepped on first to retire Garcia Jr., and then threw home where Millas beat the throw with there being no force play. The ball then rolled away from catcher Mark O’Hoppe. But O’Hoppe rescued the ball and tagged out Jacob Young, who was also attempting to score. Nationals’ manager Dave Martinez challenged the call, claiming O’Hoppe missed the tag, but the call was upheld. Martinez then argued and was ejected from the game. Garcia was credited with an RBI.
An inning later, the Angels regained the lead as Jo Adell (two hits) delivered an RBI single to plate Ward after his leadoff double, then scored on Christian Moore’s two-out RBI single to make it 3-2.
Washington again bounced back to tie the game in the seventh. Young walked with two outs and scored on Abrams’ RBI double off Ryan Zeferjahn.
Kochanowicz gave up two runs on five hits over four innings, walking two and striking out two.
Parker allowed three runs on six hits with three walks and three strikeouts in five innings.
–Field Level Media
