Griffin anchors Nationals win
Foster Griffin delivered a dominant performance on the mound, pitching seven innings to secure the win for the Washington Nationals. Griffin allowed just one earned run while striking out two batters and issuing one walk. His outing was critical in holding the Athletics to just two runs despite giving up eight hits. Griffin improved his record to 11-2 with the victory.
The Nationals’ bullpen provided essential support in the final two innings. Tom Cosgrove pitched 0.2 innings, retiring two batters without allowing a run and adding two strikeouts. Clayton Beeter closed the game with 1.1 innings of work, accepting the save on his eighth of the season. Beeter allowed one hit and one earned run while striking out two more hitters.
Offensive surge in the middle frames
The game remained tied 1-1 after the third inning, which featured early scoring from both sides. In the bottom of the third, the Athletics took a brief lead when Williams scored on a single by Soderstrom. However, the Nationals quickly answered in the fourth inning when Crews scored on a double by Ford, putting Washington ahead 2-1.
The decisive momentum shift occurred in the fifth inning. Abrams launched a 422-foot home run to center field, driving in two runs and extending the Nationals' lead to 4-1. Immediately following that play, Crews hit a 362-foot home run to left field, adding an insurance run to make the score 5-1. These back-to-back home runs proved to be the difference in the contest.
The Athletics managed to score a final run in the ninth inning when McNeil crossed the plate on a single by Wilson, making the final score 5-2. However, the deficit was too large to overcome.