Lane Thomas’ go-ahead, two-run single in the fifth inning lifted the host Washington Nationals to a 5-2 win over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday.
Thomas went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, while Patrick Corbin pitched six strong innings for Washington, which ended a four-game losing streak. Jeimer Candelario went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and two RBIs.
Spencer Torkelson went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer for the Tigers, who head into Sunday’s rubber game having dropped two of their past three contests. Jonathan Schoop also had two hits for Detroit.
Trailing 2-1, the Nationals took the lead in the fifth.
After Ildemaro Vargas hit a one-out single to left and advanced to third on CJ Abrams’ double to left, Alex Call grounded out to third before Thomas drove in a pair with a single to left.
Detroit starter Alex Faedo (0-2) got Dominic Smith to fly out to end the inning, ending his day having allowed three runs on five hits and no walks in five innings.
Washington pushed its lead to 4-2 in the sixth inning on Keibert Ruiz’s single off Tyler Holton that scored Corey Dickerson, who hit a ground-rule double with two outs.
In the eighth, Candelario’s run-scoring double plated Thomas, who hit a leadoff double.
Corbin (3-5) picked up the win by allowing two runs on six hits with three strikeouts and no walks in six innings.
Carl Edwards Jr. pitched a scoreless seventh and Hunter Harvey took care of the eighth. Kyle Finnegan retired the side in order in the ninth to pick up his ninth save of the season.
The Tigers took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first when Torkelson hit a two-run homer to left-center that scored Matt Vierling, who hit a leadoff single.
The Nationals cut the lead in half in the fourth on Candelario’s solo home run.
–Field Level Media
