Luis Garcia Jr. had two homers and a career-high six RBIs, James Wood homered and scored three times and the Washington Nationals blasted the Arizona Diamondbacks 14-1 on Friday in Phoenix.
Garcia hit a two-run homer eight pitches into the game off Merrill Kelly (5-4) and added his first career grand slam off Philip Abner in a five-run sixth for a 12-1 lead.
CJ Abrams and Daylen Lile also homered and scored twice for the Nationals, who lead the majors with 345 runs.
Lile collected three hits and two RBIs, Jorbit Vivas posted two hits and drove in three runs and Wood, Abrams and Nasim Nunez also had two hits apiece.
Foster Griffin (7-2) gave up one run on two hits in five innings, with four strikeouts and no walks. He left with a 12-1 lead, the only damage on Aramis Garcia’s third-inning homer.
Aramis Garcia’s homer was the 11th of his career and the first since April 30, 2022, with Cincinnati.
The Nationals broke a three-game losing streak in which they had scored seven runs. They had lost five of seven.
Geraldo Perdomo and Tommy Troy each had two hits for the D-backs, who have lost six of eight.
Right-hander Kelly gave up seven runs and six hits including three homers in five innings in his first loss in five starts against the Nationals. He struck out four and walked three against a lineup that featured six left-handed hitters and two switch hitters.
Kelly has given up five homers in his last two starts. Wood and Garcia hit their second career homers against him.
Wood walked before Luis Garcia’s homer in the first gave the Nationals a quick 2-0 lead. Wood led off the four-run third with his 17th homer, a 419-footer to center.
Lile had an RBI single and Vivas doubled in two to make it 6-0 in the third, and Lile homered in the fifth for a 7-1 lead.
Wood singled to load the bases off Abner in the sixth before Luis Garcia hit his grand slam. Abrams homered two batters later to make it 12-1.
–Field Level Media
