WASHINGTON (AP) MacKenzie Gore pitched five-hit ball into the sixth inning, and the Washington Nationals beat the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 on Sunday to avoid a series sweep.
Lane Thomas stole three bases and scored the go-ahead run as Washington stopped a three-game slide. Thomas, Joey Meneses and Ildemaro Vargas each had two hits.
Washington has won seven consecutive one-run games against Philadelphia dating to last season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it is the Nationalsā longest streak of one-run victories against an opponent since the franchise moved from Montreal before the 2005 season.
Gore (1-0) allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings to defeat Philadelphia for the first time in six outings against the Phillies.
āIf he can keep his misses close to the zone, itās tough to lay off of,ā Washington manager Dave Martinez said. āHis ball has that late ride to it. When he does that and heās around the plate, he can throw the ball up and he can throw the ball down. When he mixes in his changeups and his curveball, heās pretty nasty.ā
Edmundo Sosa accounted for Philadelphiaās damage against Gore, opening the scoring with a two-out RBI single in the second and connecting for a solo homer in the fifth.
Washingtonās bullpen worked 3 1/3 scoreless innings. Jordan Weems replaced Gore and retired each of his four batters, and Hunter Harvey pitched a 1-2-3 eighth. Kyle Finnegan handled the ninth for his third save in four attempts.
āTheyāre good and we use them a lot,ā Gore said. āThey were great today.ā
Finnegan was aided by Jesse Winkerās leaping grab of Trea Turnerās liner to the left-field wall leading off the ninth.
Philadelphia starter Cristopher SƔnchez (0-1) departed a 2-2 game with two men on in the fifth, and Yunior Marte loaded the bases with a walk to Meneses. Riley Adams followed with a sacrifice fly that drove in Thomas.
SƔnchez yielded six hits in 4 1/3 innings.
āWalked three guys, which is uncharacteristic of him,ā Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. āCommand was a little bit off today. Didnāt really have his changeup with depth. I just think he was getting behind they were just sitting on it.ā
Washingtonās Luis GarcĆa Jr. hit an RBI single in the second, and Meneses drove in Thomas with a single in the third.
āItās early,ā Thomas said. āObviously, we can play with these teams, so I think going forward weāre going to get better.ā
Former Nationals slugger Bryce Harper, who signed with Philadelphia before the 2019 season, was booed before each plate appearance as he customarily is in Washington. Harper went 1 for 4.
TRAINERāS ROOM
Nationals: SS CJ Abrams (bone bruise on left pinkie finger) was out of the lineup for the second consecutive day.
UP NEXT
Phillies: RHP Spencer Turnbull (1-0, 0.00 ERA) faces St. Louis on Monday as Philadelphiaās road trip continues.
Nationals: RHP Trevor Williams (1-0, 3.38 ERA) starts Monday at San Francisco as Washington begins a three-city, nine-game West Coast trip.
---
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Copyright 2024 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.