PHILADELPHIA– Keibert Ruiz hit his third home run in four games, Alex Call and James Wood also hit home runs and the Washington Nationals ended a four-game losing streak on Sunday and avoided a series sweep with a 6-4 victory over the NL-leading Philadelphia Phillies.
Jacob Young’s sacrifice fly in the eighth inning broke a 4-4 tie and the Nationals ended the Phillies’ four-game winning streak. It also ended Washington’s eight-game losing streak in Philadelphia that stretched back to August 2023.
“We had a couple of good at-bats at the end,” Nationals manager Davey Martinez said. “Jacob was struggling to get the sacrifice fly and Wood crushed the ball. Everyone talks about him having to pull the ball and well, he did it.”
The Nationals were able to get the last two runs from Philadelphia’s two All-Star relief pitchers. Washington had the bases loaded against Matt Strahm (4-2) when Young caught a high fastball from the zone and hit it far enough to get Andres Chaparro to the point.
In the ninth inning, Wood hit a 3-1 fastball from Jeff Hoffman 417 feet into right-center field for his fifth home run of the season, giving the Nationals another run.
“It felt good,” Wood said. “It was a close game in the ninth inning. I was just happy to get an extra run on the scoreboard to help our pitchers. We showed some toughness. We’re trying to play for each other and get some wins out of here.”
Ruiz hit a two-run homer in the third inning against Phillies starter Taijuan Walker. Call followed an inning later with his third of the season and second of the Series.
Call’s 400-foot throw to left field chased Walker, who lasted 4 2/3 innings and threw 99 pitches, 61 of which were strikes. The 32-year-old right-hander managed three strikeouts and three walks.
“I’m still not throwing enough strikes,” said Walker, making his second appearance after missing six weeks with inflammation of the index finger on his throwing hand. “It’s too many pitches, especially for five innings. I like to go long in games – six or seven innings. Right now I’m just throwing pitches away.”
Jacob Barnes (7-2) pitched a perfect 1 1/3 innings to earn the win as a relief pitcher. Kyle Finnegan earned his 31st save and started a double play with an acrobatic move that secured the win.
CJ Abrams stole three bases for Washington. It was the third time he’s done it this season. He tied Washington’s franchise record for most games with three or more stolen bases. Philadelphia’s Trea Turner set the record in 2017 as a member of the Nationals. Abrams attempted a fourth base but was intercepted by Walker at second base in the third inning.
Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh hit two home runs in a row and Turner also hit a home run for Philadelphia.
“It was a tough game today, but (after winning four in a row) we got that feeling again,” Marsh said. “We just have to keep going.”
Turner had two hits against Washington starter Jake Irvin, including a solo hit into the bushes in center field early in the third inning.
Turner, who was benched for a game against Miami earlier this week after hitting 10 for 70 in a 16-game series, finished the four-game series against the Nationals with 10 hits.
Nick Castellanos scored the Phillies’ other run with an RBI single in the first inning.
Travis Blankenhorn hit an RBI single for Washington.
“Any time you finish a road trip with a win, it’s good for the team,” Irvin said. “Our offense did some cool things. Props to those guys. They worked hard and the bullpen kept everything under control.”
Alec Bohm extended his on-base streak to 35 games with a single in the first inning. It is the longest run by a Philadelphia player since Chase Utley’s 36-game streak in 2006.
Next
Washington: Returns home to begin a three-game series against Colorado on Tuesday. LHP DJ Herz (2-5, 4.25) will start for the Nationals against Colorado LHP Austin Gomber (3-8, 4.82).
Philadelphia: Heads to Atlanta for a key three-game NL East series. RHP Zack Wheeler (12-5, 2.72) will pitch for the Phillies. The Braves have not yet announced a starter.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
