Giants' bats stay cold; Nationals escape 9th inning bases-loaded jam for 5-3 win
CJ Abrams homered and drove in three runs after missing three games with a bruised left pinkie, and the Washington Nationals beat the San Francisco Giants 5-3 on Tuesday night.
"It always feels good to be out there on the field playing baseball," Abrams said. "Getting out there with the boys, having fun, getting the win like tonight."
Riley Adams added an RBI double and Jacob Young had two hits and three stolen bases as Washington won its sixth in a row against San Francisco.
Patrick Bailey and Nick Ahmed drove in runs for the Giants, who lost for the seventh time in nine games.
Washington's Joan Adon allowed one run in four innings in his season debut. The right-hander was recalled from Triple-A Rochester to start for Josiah Gray, who was placed on the 15-day injured list with a flexor strain in his right arm.
"He was good," Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. "He hasn't pitched much because the weather in Rochester has been really bad everywhere they're going. ... He did a great job though. Kept us in the ballgame."
Jordan Weems (1-0) earned his sixth career win despite giving up two runs, one earned, in one inning. Kyle Finnegan pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings for his fourth save.
Giants starter Kyle Harrison had eight strikeouts and allowed three runs in six innings.
Ryan Walker (1-1) took the loss after surrendering the go-ahead run in the seventh.
Trailing 1-0 in the third, Abrams launched a two-run homer to right, his third of the year. He added an RBI single in the fifth to give Washington a 3-1 lead.
San Francisco tied it in the sixth when Ahmed lined an RBI single to right, with a second run scoring on Lane Thomas' throwing error.
Trey Lipscomb put the Nationals back in front with a sacrifice fly in the seventh. Adams added an insurance run in the ninth with an RBI double.
The Giants loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the ninth, but Finnegan retired Michael Conforto and got Matt Chapman to hit into a game-ending double play.
"Not ideal, bases loaded (and) nobody out, but we won the game and that's why we're here," Finnegan said. "I'm proud of myself for not giving in there. Knowing there's always a way out, so that kind of was my thought."
San Francisco left 11 runners on base and went 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position after going 0 for 10 in those situations in Monday night's loss.
"That's been a theme for us, unfortunately," Giants manager Bob Melvin said. "(If) we keep getting them on, we'll score them, but it's getting a little frustrating."
The Giants failed to homer for the fifth straight game, their longest stretch since a six-game drought from Sept. 10-16, 2018.
Young became the third player to swipe three bases for Washington in the last three days. Thomas accomplished the feat on Sunday against Philadelphia, and Lipscomb did it in the series opener at San Francisco on Monday night.
The last team to have a player steal at least three bases in three straight team games was Oakland in 1983, when Rickey Henderson was responsible for each one.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Nationals: RHP Hunter Harvey departed in the eighth inning after getting hit on the left hand by a 95-mph line drive from Mike Yastrzemski. X-rays were negative and he is considered day to day.
Giants: Conforto returned after missing Monday's game with a sore side muscle. He went 0 for 5.
UP NEXT
LHP Patrick Corbin (0-1, 6.97 ERA) starts Wednesday afternoon's series finale for the Nationals opposite Giants RHP Jordan Hicks (1-0, 0.75 ERA).
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