Photo by Randy Lange for TalkNats
The game was 3-0 in an instant when Juan Soto lasered an oppo 3-run homer into Petco’s leftfield seats. It wasn’t a laugher when Patrick Corbin allowed bases loaded in the first inning, and he was saved by some nifty defense to keep the Padres far from being in this game. The offense rolled to a 10-0 lead and Corbin exited with a 10-2 score in the 6th inning, and a final score of 15-5.
“You could just feel the energy in the dugout,” Josh Harrison said.
Every Nats starting position player had at least one hit and every Nats starting position player reached base safely two or more times except for one player. Every Nats starting position player also had an RBI except for one. In all, the Nats scored 15 runs in this game with only one home run. The Nats players took what they game gave them as they took their singles and doubles.
In one of those baseball rarities in a blowout, reliever Kyle McGowin was an out short of a save per baseball rules because he nearly finished the game while completing 3 innings of work. He gave up more runs than Corbin, and due to pitch count manager Dave Martinez had to bring in Jefry Rodriguez to get the final out of the game — and that proved to be no easy task for JRod who struggled go get the 27th out.
The game went so long that it was Harrison’s birthday in Washington, D.C. as the clock clicked past midnight in the east, and JHay knocked in 3 runs on 3 hits as part of the offensive barrage.
With this win, the Nats improved to 42-43 and stayed in sole possession of second place, just 4.0 games behind the Mets in the NL East.
