Luis Garcia Jr. drove in two runs, including a go-ahead home run in the seventh, and the Washington Nationals defeated the host Cincinnati Reds 4-1 on Sunday.
The Nationals took two-of-three in the weekend series.
Tyler Stephenson homered for the Reds.
Washington scored three in the seventh inning to break a 1-all tie.
Jorge Lopez (4-0) pitched two perfect innings in relief and Kyle Finnegan worked the ninth for his 11th save.
Garcia gave the Nationals a 2-1 lead with his third homer of the season with one out in the seventh. With a 3-2 count and on the seventh pitch of the at bat, Garcia drilled a cutter into the right field stands. Then with two out, CJ Abrams poked an opposite-field double into left-center field to drive in two more. Reliever Graham Ashcraft (2-3), who started the inning for the Reds, gave up all three runs in 2/3 of an inning.
Washington starter MacKenzie Gore allowed a run on four hits in five innings, in which he threw 100 pitches (61 for strikes), walking four and striking out nine to add to his major league-leading strikeout total (now 68).
Cincinnati starter Nick Martinez gave up a run and four hits in six innings with no walks and six strikeouts. He threw 86 pitches, 56 for strikes.
In the fifth inning with two outs, the Reds’ Elly De La Cruz’s drive down the left field line was originally called fair and a home run, but the call was reversed to a foul ball.
Stephenson tied it at 1 with his first home run of the season to lead off the bottom of the second.
Garcia’s sacrifice fly in the second gave Washington a 1-0 lead.
Infield singles by Matt McClain and Santiago Espinal gave Cincinnati an opportunity with runners on first and second and no outs in the first. But Gore got out of it by getting two fielder’s choice grounders and then striking out Spencer Steer swinging to end the inning.
The game’s start was delayed about 20 minutes due to inclement weather.
–Field Level Media
