MacKenzie Gore threw five shutout innings and Riley Adams hit a home run as the Washington Nationals completed their first series sweep of the season by defeating the visiting San Francisco Giants 6-1 on Sunday.
Lane Thomas had three hits, scored two runs, drove in a run and stole four bases as the Nationals produced just their fourth three-game winning streak of the season. The Giants have lost five games in a row for the first time since April.
Joc Pederson hit a leadoff pinch-hit home run in the seventh inning for San Francisco for his second homer of the series and his 10th of the season.
But the Giants managed little offense again. They scored five runs in the three games at Washington and only have eight runs during the five-game skid.
Gore (6-7) struck out eight and walked two while yielding four hits. He has recorded consecutive victories for the first time since beginning the season 2-0 in early April.
Four relievers finished the job with one inning each. Amos Willingham surrendered Pederson’s blast.
Scott Alexander (6-1) was used as an opener for the Giants. He allowed two of the four batters he faced to reach base on hits, and they both scored. Anthony DeSclafani took over and logged 4 1/3 innings, charged with four runs and eight hits.
Dominic Smith’s two-out, two-run single in the first inning opened the scoring. The Nationals added to the lead on Stone Garrett’s run-scoring double in the third.
A two-run fourth was capped by Thomas’ RBI double for a 5-0 advantage. Adams hit his fourth home run of the season with two outs in the fifth off DeSclafani, giving the seldom-used catcher his first homer in more than a month.
Smith, Adams and Luis Garcia all racked up two hits for Washington.
Wilmer Flores had two hits, including a double, for San Francisco, which won its first five games after the All-Star break prior to the current slump.
–Field Level Media
