Nationals crush Athletics 23‑4 in offensive explosion
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Interstat) — Andrés Chaparro homered twice and drove in eight runs, leading the Washington Nationals to a 23-4 rout of the Athletics on Friday night at Sutter Health Park.
The Nationals, who entered the game at .500 with a 48-48 record, erupted for 21 hits and scored in five different innings, including six runs in the sixth and five in the ninth. Washington improved to 49-49 while the Athletics fell to 41-56.
Cade Cavalli earned the win, allowing two earned runs on four hits while striking out nine over six innings. He improved to 6-4. Gage Jump took the loss after giving up three earned runs on four hits with eight strikeouts in three and two-thirds innings. Jump dropped to 3-5.
Chaparro, who had been struggling recently with just one hit in his previous nine plate appearances, went 4 for 5 with a pair of home runs and a single. He drove in two runs in the third, two in the fifth and three in the seventh before adding a walk and later scoring in the ninth. He finished the night with two home runs, his second and third of the season.
Curtis Mead also had four hits, including three doubles, and drove in three runs. Daylen Lile hit a three-run homer in the ninth, his 11th of the season, and finished with four RBIs. Harry Ford added a two-run homer in the fifth, his first, and drove in three runs. CJ Abrams doubled and singled, scoring once and driving in a run.
The Nationals broke open a scoreless game in the third. Jacob Young walked and Nasim Nuñez singled before Mead doubled to left-center, scoring both runners. Chaparro followed with an RBI single to put Washington ahead 3-0.
Washington added a run in the fourth on Jacob Young’s ground-rule double that scored Ford, who had walked.
The Athletics answered in the bottom of the fourth. Jacob Wilson singled and Tyler Soderstrom homered to center, his 15th, cutting the lead to 4-2.
But Washington blew the game open in the fifth. Mead singled and Chaparro homered to left-center, scoring two. After a walk to Dylan Crews, Ford homered to center, extending the lead to 8-2.
The Nationals sent 10 batters to the plate in the sixth. Young walked, Nuñez singled and James Wood singled to drive in two. Mead doubled to put runners at second and third before Chaparro singled sharply to center, scoring two more and reaching second on a fielding error by center fielder Henry Bolte. Abrams doubled to drive in Chaparro, and Lile singled to score Abrams, making it 14-2.
In the seventh, Washington added four more. Nuñez singled, Wood walked and Mead doubled to score Nuñez. Chaparro then hit his second homer, a line drive to left, scoring Wood and Mead. Abrams singled but was erased on a force out.
The Nationals capped the scoring in the ninth. Chaparro walked, José Tena singled, and Crews doubled to score Chaparro. Ford singled to drive in Tena, and Lile homered to center, clearing the bases and pushing the lead to 23-2.
The Athletics scored twice in the ninth. Shea Langeliers led off with a homer, his 22nd. Joshua Kuroda-Grauer reached on an error, Lawrence Butler singled and, after a double play, Bolte doubled to score Kuroda-Grauer. Tommy White flied out to end the game.
Riley Cornelio pitched two scoreless innings for Washington, striking out five and allowing two hits. Brady Basso pitched a scoreless eighth for the Athletics, striking out two.
Attendance was 11,087. The game lasted 3 hours, 13 minutes.
Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Washington 4, Athletics 1. Interstat’s ELO system gave Washington a 51.30 percent probability to win. Washington was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total score of 27 went under the over-under line of 9.5.