The game stayed close into the sixth, then it did not. Washington turned a one-run cushion into a comfortable lead with a burst of hits, and Cincinnati never found an answer in an 8-2 loss.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| WSH | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | X | 8 | 10 | 0 |
Andrew Alvarez set the tone from the mound, working 5.1 innings and allowing just 3 hits and 1 run while striking out 2. He handed the ball to a bullpen that covered the rest of the way, with four relievers combining for 3.2 innings and allowing only 1 run. Clayton Beeter earned the win, tossing a scoreless inning with 1 strikeout to improve to 5-3 on the season.
Washington broke a scoreless tie in the third when Ortiz singled to left, driving in both Tena and Abrams for a 2-0 lead. Cincinnati answered in the sixth when Suarez homered to left center, scoring Stewart and tying the game at 2-2. But Washington never trailed again. Lile's single through the left side brought home Crews for a 3-2 lead, and the inning kept rolling: Chaparro doubled to left to score Lile and Ruiz, and Young singled to center to score Chaparro, turning a tight game into a 6-2 rout. Washington later tacked on two more runs in the eighth, as Chaparro and Abrams each singled home a run.
Chase Burns took the loss for Cincinnati, allowing 5 runs on 6 hits over 5.1 innings with 6 strikeouts, falling to 13-2 on the season. The Reds bullpen struggled as well, with two relievers combining to allow 3 runs over 2.2 innings. Suarez's two-run homer was Cincinnati's only sustained offensive success, and the Reds could not string together another scoring threat after the sixth.
The win was Washington's second straight, improving the Nationals to 58-61. Cincinnati dropped its second in a row, falling to 56-60. Suarez, who finished 1-for-3 with the homer and 2 RBI, sits at 1,496 career hits, 4 shy of 1,500, and at 992 career RBI, 8 shy of 1,000.