Joey Meneses' three-run homer lifts Nationals past Diamondbacks
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PHOENIX — On Saturday night, the Washington Nationals had a golden opportunity to steal a game they had no business winning, only to blow it in heartbreaking fashion. So forgive them for not pouring out of the Chase Field dugout after Joey Meneses hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the ninth inning Sunday.
Sure, the Nationals yelled from the dugout and raised their hands in jubilation. But they had learned the hard way the night before that you can’t celebrate until all 27 outs are in the books.
This time, they closed the deal. Hunter Harvey got the call and got the save as Washington squeaked out a 9-8 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks to avoid a three-game sweep.
“These guys got a bunch of heart, and they’re playing together,” Manager Dave Martinez said. “They feel like they’re never out of it, and today’s another good example.”
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The Nationals (14-20) headed west for this six-game trip to Phoenix and San Francisco riding the high of winning a series against the Chicago Cubs. They outplayed the Cubs and, more importantly, played some of their best — and cleanest — baseball of the season.
But so much can change from one series to the next. And for most of Sunday afternoon, it appeared the Nationals would get swept because of mental mistakes that Martinez had wanted his team to avoid. Washington walked 11 batters and failed to handle many of the small details.
“We got to start pitching a little better again,” Martinez said. “... The walks are killing us. We got to start throwing strikes again and keep giving ourselves a chance, try not to make these games so interesting.”
In the second inning, Alex Call singled with Meneses on third and Dominic Smith on second. Meneses scored easily, and given the slow grounder up the middle, it seemed Smith should have had no problem scoring, too. But Smith was held at third, a decision that proved costly when he was thrown out two batters later on a CJ Abrams flyball.
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The Nationals led 1-0 until Trevor Williams allowed a solo shot to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in the bottom half. Two innings later, he gave up a solo shot to Christian Walker. Williams balked with runners on second and third later in the fourth, allowing another run to score.
Washington scored twice in the fifth to tie it at 3, only to give the lead right back to the Diamondbacks (19-15). Williams walked the leadoff man, then allowed a triple on a ball that bounced off right fielder Lane Thomas’s glove when he leaped near the warning track.
Williams retired the next batter, then was replaced by Andrés Machado. He walked Pavin Smith with two outs, then threw a sinker that Gurriel smashed for his second homer of the game and his third in the past two. (He had the game-tying homer in the ninth inning Saturday.) This three-run shot made it 7-3.
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Hobie Harris, who entered in the sixth, walked three batters, and the Diamondbacks stole three bases with him on the mound but didn’t score.
But the Nationals, as they did all weekend, showed an ability to battle back. They scored twice in the seventh to cut their deficit to 7-5 — but then Thaddeus Ward walked four batters, including the first three he faced. He threw just eight of his 24 pitches for strikes and allowed a run.
The Nationals remained persistent. They added a run in the eighth, then got back-to-back hits by Luis García and Keibert Ruiz before Meneses’s ninth-inning blast, his second homer of the season.
“It seems like, unfortunately, I haven’t had the big hits like I did last season,” Meneses said through an interpreter. “But just keep working, keep battling, and hopefully my confidence keeps going.”
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Harvey, who got the call after Kyle Finnegan struggled Saturday night, notched the first save of his career. He said after the game it was difficult to keep his adrenaline under control; he and his dad, Bryan, became the ninth father-son duo to record saves in the majors.
And when the bottom half concluded, the Nationals formed a line in front of their dugout for the first time this weekend. They could finally relax. They could finally celebrate.
Here’s what else to know about the Nationals’ win:
Robles to IL
Martinez said after the game that center fielder Victor Robles, who was held out of the lineup after he injured his back sliding into second base Saturday, was suffering from back spasms and would go on the injured list. Jake Alu will be recalled from Class AAA Rochester to take his roster spot.
Candelario update
Third baseman Jeimer Candelario, who was taken to the hospital following Friday night’s game after experiencing dehydration, said Sunday he felt good. He said he started to feel unwell in the eighth inning, but then he felt “weird” after he showered postgame. He was released from the hospital Saturday but didn’t play Sunday; Ildemaro Vargas started in his place.
Kieboom to Rochester
The Nationals ended Carter Kieboom’s rehab assignment at Class AA Harrisburg, reinstating him from the injured list and sending him to Rochester. The 25-year-old third baseman missed all of last season because of Tommy John surgery, then had his start to this season delayed by a right shoulder impingement.
Candelario started the first 32 games at third base and, barring an injury, is likely to continue to be the Nationals’ everyday third baseman even when Kieboom returns.
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Source: The Washington Post
