WASHINGTON (Interstat) — Eduardo Rodriguez pitched six innings of two-run ball and Tim Tawa drove in a run as the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Washington Nationals 3-2 on Friday night at Nationals Park.

The Diamondbacks improved to 55-49, while the Nationals fell to 52-52. The attendance was 36,065, and the game lasted 2 hours, 37 minutes.

Arizona struck first in the second inning. Max Kepler led off with a double and Tyler Locklear walked. Adrian Del Castillo sacrificed both runners into scoring position, and Tawa laid down a bunt single to score Kepler. Ketel Marte then grounded into a force out, but Locklear scored on the play to make it 2-0. The Diamondbacks challenged the call at first base on Marte’s grounder, and the ruling was overturned, allowing the run to score.

Washington tied the game in the fourth. CJ Abrams singled off Rodriguez, and Dylan Crews followed with a two-run home run to left-center field, his eighth of the season.

The score remained 2-2 until the top of the seventh. Marte led off with a single, Corbin Carroll singled, and Geraldo Perdomo walked to load the bases with no outs. Gabriel Moreno then lifted a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Marte and giving Arizona a 3-2 lead.

Rodriguez (9-3) allowed two earned runs on seven hits, striking out four and walking one in six innings. He earned the win after Washington tied the game in the fourth but did not allow another run. Juan Morillo pitched a scoreless seventh inning, Kevin Ginkel tossed a perfect eighth, and Paul Sewald worked a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his 24th save.

Zack Littell (7-8) took the loss for Washington. He allowed three runs on five hits in six innings, walking four and striking out five.

Arizona’s offense managed eight hits, with Tawa collecting two, including his RBI bunt single. Locklear went 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored. Marte was 1 for 5 with an RBI. Carroll walked twice and singled. The Diamondbacks left 10 runners on base.

Washington had seven hits. Crews homered and drove in two. Andrés Chaparro doubled, and James Wood singled. The Nationals stranded six runners.

The game featured several defensive highlights. In the first inning, Washington center fielder Jacob Young threw out Geraldo Perdomo at third base on a Gabriel Moreno single, ending a potential Arizona rally. In the fifth, Arizona turned a double play when shortstop Perdomo started a 6-4-3 double play to erase a Curtis Mead walk.

Both teams had opportunities. Arizona loaded the bases in the first but came away empty. Washington had runners in scoring position in the sixth after singles by CJ Abrams and Dylan Crews, but Rodriguez struck out Harry Ford and Luis García Jr. walked to load the bases before Nasim Nuñez grounded out.

Rodriguez worked out of trouble in the first as well, stranding runners at second and third after a double by Chaparro. He retired James Wood on strikes to end the inning.

Arizona added single hits in the third and sixth but could not push across another run until the seventh. The Diamondbacks put two on in the eighth on a Tawa single, but Marte struck out to end the inning.

Sewald recorded his save with a strikeout of Jorbit Vivas, a flyout to right by Luis García Jr., and a groundout by Keibert Ruiz.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Arizona in head-to-head matchups against Washington, which had won two of three in Phoenix in June.

Arizona continues its road trip with the second game of the series Saturday, while Washington looks to even the series.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Arizona 8, Washington 5. Interstat’s ELO system gave Arizona a 52.90 percent probability to win. Arizona was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total score of 5 went over the over/under line of 9.