Nationals rout Giants behind another strong start from Josiah Gray
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SAN FRANCISCO — Riley Adams remained stoic as he rounded third base after hitting a three-run homer in the second inning. But as he neared home plate, with his teammates egging him on, he couldn’t help but crack a smile. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Moments earlier, Adams launched an inside slider from Sean Manaea just inside the left field foul pole, helping the Washington Nationals pad an early lead in what became an 11-6 win over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday at Oracle Park. The win let the visitors take two of three in the series and complete a trip out west at 3-3.
Washington is 15-16 since starting the season 1-5.
“It feels awesome,” Adams said. “But more importantly, just the whole lineup was hitting today. That was even more gratifying to see.”
Sitting behind Keibert Ruiz, a 24-year-old who signed an eight-year, $50 million contract during spring training, means playing time for Adams would be scarce. Wednesday’s matinee, coming after a night game, was just Adams’s sixth start of the season, yet he said he has tried to stay ready by hitting off velocity and breaking ball machines in the batting cages.
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The work paid off in the second inning, following an RBI single from Dominic Smith. Adams’s blast, which drove in Smith and Stone Garrett, made it 4-0. The Nationals blew it open an inning later when Garrett poked a two-run single to the opposite field with two outs. Ildemaro Vargas, who also plays sparingly, then drove in two more with a triple to make it 8-0.
The Giants scored a run in the third off Josiah Gray before Joey Meneses tacked on an RBI single in the fourth that scored Lane Thomas, who would contribute a solo homer in the sixth. Vargas added an RBI double in the ninth and finished a homer shy of the cycle.
Adams’s offensive production was welcome, but he also helped Gray navigate seven innings. Wednesday marked only the second time in Gray’s career that he finished seven innings. He allowed two runs and struck out five, lowering his ERA to 2.96.
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“With our guys going out there early and scoring runs, it kind of puts you at ease,” Gray said. “You don’t have to nibble as much. These guys have been phenomenal the way they’ve supported me in the last few outings. . . . When we’re scoring runs, we’re a really good team.”
The Giants stacked five lefties in their lineup against Gray, making the right-hander’s cutter even more vital. Gray added the pitch to his arsenal this offseason to get in on the hands of left-handed hitters; he threw the pitch 28 times Wednesday.
Gray’s pitch selection was balanced — in addition to the cutter, he threw 27 four-seam fastballs, 19 curveballs, 18 sliders and one change-up for an efficient 93 pitches over seven innings.
“It’s fun catching him because I know he’s got confidence in every single pitch and he can throw them in any count,” Adams said.
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Gray allowed a leadoff double in the third inning to Casey Schmitt, who scored after a pair of groundouts. Gray then walked back-to-back hitters with two outs, which drove up his pitch count, but Gray retired the next batter following a mound visit. Gray gave up four free passes in total.
Gray was also helped by his defense. In the sixth, after the Giants’ Blake Sabol singled to make the score 10-2, Thomas fielded the ball in right field and fired behind Sabol, who had scampered too far from first base and was tagged out by Smith. Gray then got out of the inning with a groundout on his next pitch.
Thaddeus Ward and Erasmo Ramírez each allowed a two-run homer in the final two innings, but Adams and the defense had already put the game out of reach.
“What I really love about Riley is that he handles our pitching staff really well,” Manager Dave Martinez said. “Even though he’s not catching every day, he does his homework. Today, he caught Josiah Gray and caught him really well. . . . We talk a lot about, ‘Hey, you go 1 for 4 and drive in a run and handle our pitching staff, that’s a great day for you.’ ”
Candelario exits early
Jeimer Candelario slid awkwardly into second base after legging out a double in the sixth inning. He remained in the game after being attended to by Martinez and trainer Paul Lessard but was replaced by Michael Chavis in the top of the seventh.
Before the Nationals’ trip, Candelario was the lone Nationals player to start every game at the same position. He missed the final two games of the Nationals’ previous series against the Arizona Diamondbacks after dealing with dehydration.
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Source: The Washington Post
