WASHINGTON (AP) — Luis García Jr. broke a fifth-inning tie with a two-run homer and the Washington Nationals defeated the Seattle Mariners 8-3 on Saturday.
CJ Abrams had three hits and two RBIs for Washington (36-35), which improved to 13-21 at Nationals Park after losing its previous four home games. Abrams also scored twice.
Colt Emerson homered for the second consecutive game for the AL West-leading Mariners, who are 4-5 on a 10-game trip to Detroit, Baltimore and Washington.
With the score tied at 3 in the fifth, James Wood hit a sharp single to third that was originally ruled an error. García then ripped Luis Castillo’s changeup 408 feet to right-center for his .
Abrams helped expand the lead in the seventh with before scoring when reliever Eduard Bazardo’s pickoff attempt trickled off runner Dylan Crews into foul territory. Washington made it 8-3 when on José Tena’s single to center.
Nationals starter Cade Cavalli (4-4) allowed three runs and struck out five in five innings.
Washington scored three unearned runs in the first against Castillo (2-6). García reached on first baseman Josh Naylor’s error, then scored on Abrams’ two-out single. Daylen Lile followed with a triple to right before coming home on Crews’ single.
Castillo yielded five runs in 5 2/3 innings while striking out four.
Seattle tied it with a two-out rally in the fifth. Mitch Garver hit an RBI single, and for his sixth homer.
Up next
Washington RHP Miles Mikolas (1-5, 5.90 ERA) and Seattle RHP Emerson Hancock (5-2, 2.74) are scheduled to start Sunday in the finale of the three-game series.
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