WASHINGTON (Interstat) — The Washington Nationals scored five runs in the fifth inning, erasing a one-run deficit and riding a dominant bullpen to a 7-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Monday night at Nationals Park.

Right fielder Dylan Crews delivered the decisive blow with a three-run home run in that fifth inning, while second baseman Nasim Nuñez went 2 for 2 with a walk and two runs scored. The win improved Washington to 38-35, while Kansas City fell to 29-44 before a crowd of 14,444. The game lasted 2 hours, 30 minutes.

The Royals struck first, scratching across a run in the fourth inning. With two outs, Starling Marte singled off Washington starter Andrew Alvarez and moved to second on a walk to Nick Loftin. Carter Jensen then singled to center field, scoring Marte and sending Loftin to third. But Alvarez got Isaac Collins to ground out, ending the inning with Kansas City ahead 1-0.

Kansas City added two more in the fifth off Alvarez. Bobby Witt Jr. drew a leadoff walk and Jac Caglianone doubled to right field, putting runners at second and third. Maikel Garcia singled to right field, scoring both Witt and Caglianone and extending the Royals’ lead to 3-0. Alvarez limited the damage by inducing a double play from Marte, but the damage was done.

Alvarez finished with four innings pitched, allowing five hits and one earned run while striking out five. He exited after the fifth with the score still 3-0 in favor of Kansas City.

The Nationals responded immediately in the bottom of the fifth, sending 10 batters to the plate against Royals starter Mitch Spence. Keibert Ruiz led off with a single to center field and Nuñez followed with a single to right, putting runners at the corners. James Wood walked to load the bases. Luis García Jr. then singled to left field, scoring Ruiz and Nuñez and cutting the Royals’ lead to 3-2.

After Curtis Mead and CJ Abrams flied out, Crews stepped to the plate with two outs and two on. He launched his fourth home run of the season to left field, a three-run shot that scored Wood and García Jr. and put the Nationals ahead 7-3. Spence was lifted after the inning. He took the loss, falling to 0-1.

Washington’s bullpen took over from there and shut down the Royals over the final four innings. Brad Lord earned the win in relief, working three innings and allowing two hits and two earned runs with two strikeouts. Lord improved to 5-0 on the season. Clayton Beeter pitched a perfect eighth inning, striking out two, and the Nationals closed out the game without further incident.

The Royals managed eight hits in the game, matching the Nationals’ total, but could not push across a run after the fifth. Caglianone finished with a double and a single. Nick Loftin doubled in the ninth inning but was left stranded. Kansas City went 2 for 8 with runners in scoring position.

Washington’s offense was paced by Nuñez’s two-hit night and García Jr.’s two RBIs. Curtis Mead also had an RBI single in the third inning, scoring Nuñez and Wood to tie the game briefly at 2-2 before the Royals regained the lead. García Jr. finished 1 for 4 with two RBIs. Crews drove in three runs on his home run.

The game’s most critical juncture came in the fifth inning, when the Nationals turned a 3-0 deficit into a 7-3 advantage. After the Royals had built their lead with a two-run inning, Washington’s five-run outburst erased the Royals’ momentum and gave the Nationals a lead they never relinquished. The inning featured five hits, a walk and the pivotal home run by Crews.

Washington’s victory continued a successful homestand. The Nationals had taken two of three from Seattle over the weekend before Monday’s win. Kansas City, meanwhile, lost its fourth straight game after splitting a series with Texas and then being swept at home by Houston.

The two teams will meet again Tuesday and Wednesday at Nationals Park to complete the three-game series. After that, Washington travels to Tampa Bay for a weekend set, while Kansas City returns home to host St. Louis. The Royals then embark on a road trip to Tampa Bay and Chicago.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Washington 5, Kansas City 4. Interstat’s ELO system gave Washington a 52.40 percent probability to win. Washington was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total of 10 runs went under the over-under line of 8.5.