(Not quite) Instant Analysis: Nats 14, Diamondbacks 1
With a five-homer barrage (including two by Luis García Jr.) the Nationals rediscovered their power stroke to win big in Arizona
PHOENIX – Turns out all the Nationals needed to reignite their slumping lineup was a Friday night in the desert.
Taking full advantage of one of the best hitters’ parks in the majors, the Nats launched five homers and rode a career game from Luis García Jr. to a blowout victory over the Diamondbacks to reach the .500 mark again and put this week’s sweep at the hands of the Marlins squarely in the rearview mirror.
“Coming off a series where Miami threw the ball pretty well against us, it was good to see us come out here after the day off and swing the bats the way we did,” manager Blake Butera said.
García blasted a pair of homers, including his first career grand slam, while driving in a career-high six runs. And he had plenty of company in the power department, with James Wood, Daylen Lile and CJ Abrams also homering against the helpless Arizona pitching tandem of Merrill Kelly and Philip Abner.
But there was plenty more to the Nationals’ production than the long ball. Lile drove in another run with an RBI single in the third. Drew Millas reached base four times. And Jorbit Vivas finally snapped his 0-for-25 slump with runners in scoring position, delivering a two-run double in the third and an RBI single in the eighth (off position player Adrian Del Castillo).
“It really feels good, those moments,” Vivas said, via interpreter Mauricio Ortiz. “You work hard every day for those moments, to bring in runs, to get on base, to create those opportunities. So, really happy with that.”
Pitching with a lead from the time he took the mound, Foster Griffin offered up a gem of a start, albeit an abbreviated one. The left-hander allowed just one run on two hits over five innings before departing despite a pitch count of only 62 due to some minor back tightness. With three straight strong outings, Griffin improved to 7-2 with a 3.63 ERA.
Paxton Schultz and Cole Henry then finished it out with two innings of relief a piece, sending the Nats into Saturday’s matinee feeling good about themselves again.
“Against the Marlins, we didn’t have the results that we wanted,” García said, with Ortiz interpreting. “But yesterday, with the off-day, we cleared our minds and came in today confident knowing things were going to go our way.”
HITTING HIGHLIGHT: The Nationals jumped all over Kelly from the outset, and García was a huge part of that. He followed Wood’s leadoff walk in the first with a two-run homer to right to give his team a quick 2-0 lead. Then he proved he can hit lefties as well when he destroyed Abner’s sixth-inning slider to right-center for the first grand slam of his career. It’s only the sixth homer he’s ever hit off a left-hander (compared to 59 vs. righties) and it gave him a six-RBI night.
“I just want to thank Blake for giving me the opportunity to face a lefty,” García said. “That’s what you work on throughout the whole season, but it’s good to have good results there.”
“Everyone was fired up for him,” Butera said. “He’s been putting in a ton of work. I’m happy to see the success he had tonight. It was huge for all of us, and obviously huge for him.”
PITCHING HIGHLIGHT: Griffin was basically on cruise control all night. To wit: He faced only one at-bat with a runner on base at the time, and that was the last batter he faced in the bottom of the fifth. Aramis Garcia did punish him for a hanging sweeper in the third, but that was the extent of the Diamondbacks’ offensive attack against him. The left-hander retired 16 of the 18 batters he faced, struck out the side in the fourth on three different pitches (curveball, splitter, sinker) and needed only 62 pitches to complete five innings.
“I mean, we’re the first-inning Nats, right?” he said of pitching with a lead from the start. “I feel like a lot of these outings I’ve taken the field, especially on the road, with already a two-, three-run-plus cushion. That’s just super relaxing for me, and allows me to go out there and attack the zone even more.”
Why was he pulled after that? Griffin’s back started tightening up while he was waiting for his teammates to finish batting. And with the score as lopsided as it was, Butera decided not to risk anything and just go to his bullpen at that point.
“Very minor, very precautionary,” Griffin said. “I feel like if the score wasn’t the way it was, I would’ve kept going. But this offense keeps doing it, so were able to be cautious with it.”
NOTABLE: The Nationals have scored at least seven runs in six of their last nine games at Chase Field.
INJURY UPDATES: DJ Herz took a big step in his return from Tommy John surgery Friday when he threw two scoreless innings, striking out four, in his first rehab start in West Palm Beach. The 25-year-old lefty still has a long way to go, but his presence on the mound in an actual game was the best sign to date he’s reaching the final stages of his rehab.
Jake Irvin still hasn’t been cleared to throw. The right-hander is eligible to come off the 15-day IL on Monday, but he obviously will need more time.
Wood, meanwhile, came out of tonight’s game after a seventh-inning at-bat that included a foul ball off his right shin. With the Nats ahead by double-digits, Butera decided to give him the rest of the night off but said he “fully expects” him to be ready to play Saturday.
UP NEXT: It’s a quick turnaround to Saturday’s game, which starts at 4:10 p.m. EDT. Zack Littell is listed as the Nats’ starter (unless they decide to use an opener). Veteran left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez starts for Arizona. TV: Nationals TV RADIO: 106.7 FM
Garcia thanking Butera is notable to me because it looked like Garcia saw Mead coming out and Garcia looked back at Butera to ask if Mead was coming in for him. Butera gave Garcia the go ahead to bat and put Mead in for Tena. Then Garcia hit the grand slam.
There is so much to celebrate about last night. The way the game unfolded, the Nats' hitters were working in as close to a stress-free environment as you can get. Vivas's quote is a reminder that ballplayers know when they're working, pressing, and not getting results. Which brings me to this: I feel for Crews. Everybody is hitting, rolling crooked numbers, and he finishes the night with an 0-5 collar. I'm sure he is working. And pressing. And knew what his place in the boxscore would look like after the game. I imagine last night was a long one for him. So, I do feel sorry for him. He is working, pressing, and not delivering. And he knows it. And he feels it. It's a doggoned shame. Here's hoping he has a good game today.