WASHINGTON (AP) — José Tena hit a go-ahead, two-run double during a wild seventh inning, and the Washington Nationals rallied to beat the Cleveland Guardians 10-9 in the opener of a doubleheader on Tuesday after blowing a four-run lead in the top of the frame.
James Wood into the Washington bullpen in the third inning, the 10th homer of the season for the Nationals’ second-year slugger. The two-run shot made it 3-2 in the first of two Washington rallies.
The Nationals were ahead 6-2 in the seventh when reliever Jose A. Ferrer allowed five of six batters to reach. Jhonkensy Noel started the Guardians’ surge with a pinch-hit RBI double. Cleveland went ahead 7-6 on a two-run single by Gabriel Arias, and Angel Martínez added an RBI infield hit.
Washington then scored four against Cade Smith (1-1) in the bottom half. Keibert Ruiz hit an RBI single and Dylan Crews broke out of a slump with a double that made it 8-all before Tena’s decisive double.
Jorge López (5-0) got two outs in the seventh and worked a scoreless eighth. Kyle Finnegan allowed a sacrifice fly to Arias in the ninth but closed it out for his 12th save.
Nationals starter Jake Irvin struggled with his command early but got through 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits with three walks.
Key moment
Washington’s Jacob Young had a two-out, two-run single in the sixth that made it 6-2.
Key stat
The fifth through ninth-place batters in the Guardians’ lineup had 11 of their 14 hits. Carlos Santana went 3 for 5 from the fifth spot, and the next four had two hits apiece, including Nolan Jones, who homered and doubled.
Up next
After Tuesday’s nightcap, the teams conclude a stretch of three games in 24 hours when they play Wednesday at 12:05 p.m.
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