Instant Analysis: Nats 23, A's 4
Andrés Chaparro launched two homers and drove in eight runs to lead an explosive Nationals lineup in Sacramento
If the Nationals are hoping to set a particular tone in this first week coming out of the All-Star break, this was a pretty good opening act.
Behind an offensive explosion keyed by a career night from Andrés Chaparro and another strong start from Cade Cavalli, the Nats routed the Athletics late Friday night to get themselves back to .500 and begin this six-game trip to Sacramento and Colorado on a decidedly positive note.
Shut out through their first two innings at the plate, the Nationals broke out in a big way after that, scoring two runs in the third, one in the fourth, four in the fifth, six in the sixth, four in the seventh and five in the ninth to blow the game wide open. And nobody was more productive than Chaparro, the previously struggling first baseman who went 4-for-5 with two home runs and a career-high eight RBI.
Chaparro had plenty of help from his teammates. Harry Ford, making his team debut, launched his first big-league homer while also drawing a walk and scoring two runs. Curtis Mead totaled four hits (three of them doubles), scoring three times while driving in three. Jacob Young doubled and drew a pair of walks. Nasim Nuñez recorded three hits and scored twice. Every member of the lineup, in fact, either scored or drove in a run by the end of the sixth inning as the Nats matched the second-highest-scoring performance in club history.
Pitching with plenty of cushion, Cavalli cruised through six innings of two-run ball, striking out nine without issuing a walk. Riley Cornelio tossed two scoreless innings of relief before infielder Jorbit Vivas pitched the bottom of the ninth to keep the rest of the bullpen fresh heading into the rest of the trip.
HITTING HIGHLIGHT: Blake Butera has faced criticism nearly every time he has started Chaparro in place of Luis García Jr., even more so when he places Chaparro in a prominent spot in the lineup. Club officials have believed throughout the right-handed half of their first base platoon matches up better with left-handed pitchers than García, and tonight they were finally rewarded for their patience. Facing hard-throwing A’s lefty Gage Jump, Chaparro scorched a hard grounder to second in his first at-bat, then singled home a run in his second. And he was just getting warmed up. Chaparro launched reliever José Suarez’s fifth-inning fastball way beyond the fence in deep left-center, nearly reaching the team bus parked near the visitors’ clubhouse. And then he kept doing it against right-handed relievers, producing a two-run single in the sixth off Justin Sterner and the capper: a three-run homer in the seventh off Yunior Tur to give him eight RBI on the night, more than doubling his season total. Chaparro is only the fifth player in Nationals history to drive in eight or more runs in a single game, tied with Josh Willingham (2009) and Trea Turner (2018) and trailing only Anthony Rendon (10 in 2017) and Mark Reynolds (10 in 2018).
PITCHING HIGHLIGHT: It got overshadowed by his teammates’ offensive exploits, but Cavalli put together yet another strong start. He struck out nine and didn’t walk a batter, the third time this season he’s done that. After a couple of less-sharp outings at home, his fastball had life again, resembling the one he showed off during his dominant start at Fenway Park three weeks ago.
NOTABLE: Chaparro’s 467-foot homer was the fourth-longest by any Nationals player since Statcast debuted in 2015, trailing only Michael A. Taylor (493 feet, Aug. 20, 2015 at COL), Ian Desmond (477 feet, Aug. 15, 2015 at SF) and Bryce Harper (473 feet, May 4, 2018 vs. PHI).
UP NEXT: The second game of the weekend series features an even later start time, with first pitch Saturday night in Sacramento scheduled for 10:05 p.m. EDT. Zack Littell remains listed as the Nats’ starter, but we’ll see if Blake Butera goes with an opener in front of the veteran. Right-hander J.T. Ginn starts for the A’s. TV: Nationals TV RADIO: 106.7 FM