Jake Irvin allowed two runs and struck out six over six solid innings, while Joey Meneses and Lane Thomas each had two RBIs, as the visiting Washington Nationals cooled off the Cleveland Guardians with a 5-2 victory on Sunday.
Ildemaro Vargas added two hits with an RBI for the Nationals, who avoided a series sweep by halting Cleveland’s nine-game home winning streak. Irvin (3-5) allowed those runs in the second inning — after Washington scored four in the top of the frame against Carlos Carrasco — and five hits while receiving some needed run support after his teammates scored just four times with him on the mound in five May starts.
Carrasco (2-5), meanwhile, returned from a brief stint on the injured list with neck spasms, and allowed five runs and seven hits in four innings. Daniel Schneemann lined the first pitch he saw in his major league career into the right-field corner for a two-run double, but the AL Central-leading Guardians mustered nothing more in losing for just the fourth time in 19 games.
After recording three runs in the first two games of this series, the Nationals exceeded that total in the second on Sunday. Keibert Ruiz singled and went to third on Eddie Rosario’s double inside the first-base bag and down the right-field line. Both scored on Meneses’ double to deep center. Washington concluded its second-inning scoring via two-out RBI singles from Vargas and Thomas.
However, Cleveland cut that deficit in half during the bottom of the frame. Will Brennan singled, went to third on Gabriel Arias’ double into the right-field corner, and both scored on Schneemann’s milestone hit with two out.
Washington, though, got a run back in the fourth. Carrasco walked Joey Gallo, who scampered to third on Vargas’ single and came home via Thomas’ sacrifice fly to the center-field wall.
Nationals relievers Robert Garcia, Hunter Harvey and Kyle Finnegan (16 saves) combined to allow one hit over the final three innings.
For the second straight day, Washington shortstop CJ Abrams was scratched from the starting lineup due to a shoulder issue.
–Field Level Media