WASHINGTON (Interstat) — Ben Rice tripled in two runs in the eighth inning, erasing a one-run deficit and lifting the New York Yankees to a 5-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Sunday afternoon at Nationals Park.

The Yankees won their third straight game, improving to 54-42, while the Nationals dropped their third in a row to fall to 48-49.

Rice’s two-out triple to left field scored Max Schuemann and Trent Grisham, turning a 3-2 Nationals lead into a 4-3 Yankees advantage. New York added an insurance run in the ninth on a sacrifice fly by José Caballero.

Ryan Yarbrough earned the win with one-third of an inning of scoreless relief, improving to 2-0. Paul Blackburn pitched the final two innings, allowing no hits and striking out two, to notch his first save of the season. Andrew Alvarez took the loss for Washington, dropping to 2-3.

Will Warren, named the top star for the Yankees, delivered a solid start: five innings, four hits, one earned run, two strikeouts. He left with the game tied 2-2 after the sixth. In his previous two outings, Warren had struggled, allowing six earned runs in four innings against Tampa Bay on July 7 and two earned runs in 5⅓ innings against Detroit on July 1.

Nationals starter Cade Cavalli also turned in a strong performance: six innings, four hits, two earned runs, five strikeouts. He departed with the score tied after the sixth.

The game began with Washington taking an early lead. James Wood led off the bottom of the first inning with his 28th home run of the season, a solo shot to center field off Warren. The Nationals held that 1-0 edge through four innings.

New York tied the game in the fifth. Cody Bellinger led off with a double, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled him home. After two quick outs, Austin Wells singled to drive in Chisholm, putting the Yankees ahead 2-1.

Warren escaped a jam in the bottom of the fifth when José Tena doubled with one out, but the next three Nationals batters were retired.

Curtis Mead tied the game in the sixth with a solo home run, his 17th of the year, leading off the bottom of the inning against Warren. The score remained 2-2 until the bottom of the seventh.

In the seventh, the Nationals took advantage of a Yankees error. With one out, Tena singled. After a strikeout, Keibert Ruiz reached on a throwing error by second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., allowing pinch runner Nasim Nuñez to score from second base. Wood then walked, but reliever Angel Chivilli induced a groundout to end the inning with Washington ahead 3-2.

Alvarez came on for Washington in the eighth. After retiring the first two batters, Schuemann singled and Grisham walked. Rice followed with his triple to left, driving in both runners. Rice’s triple was his third of the season.

The Yankees added a run in the ninth when Bellinger singled, Chisholm doubled and Caballero sacrificed Bellinger home.

Blackburn closed out the ninth, retiring the side in order on a flyout and two groundouts.

James Wood finished 1-for-2 with a walk and a home run for Washington. Jazz Chisholm Jr. went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a double. Ben Rice drove in two runs, while Cody Bellinger had a double and a single, scoring twice.

Attendance was 33,699, and the game lasted 2 hours, 54 minutes.

The Yankees, who have won seven of their last 10 games, will host the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, July 17. The Nationals begin a road trip Friday against the Athletics.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Washington Nationals 5, New York Yankees 4. Interstat’s ELO system gave the Yankees a 58.70 percent probability to win. New York was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total score of 8 went over the over-under line of 9.