Kurt Suzuki homered and finished with four RBIs as the Washington Nationals defeated the visiting Baltimore Orioles 8-4 Wednesday night.
Suzuki hit a two-run homer and a two-run double. He finished 2-for-4 as the Nationals bounced back from a 2-0 loss in Tuesday's opener of the two-game series. The teams split their four games for the season.
Washington starter Max Scherzer, in just his second start since coming off the injured list due to problems with his upper back and shoulder, was pulled after 4 1/3 innings. He gave up two runs on six hits and struck out eight with one walk but had thrown 89 pitches, and Washington is being careful as Scherzer builds his endurance back up.
Wander Suero (5-7), who followed Scherzer to the mound, earned the win. Suero got the last two outs of the fifth inning by retiring the only man he faced, inducing Trey Mancini to ground into a double play.
Baltimore starter Asher Wojciechowski (2-7) found trouble early, giving up five runs in the first inning. The right-hander went four innings, giving up six hits and those five runs. He struck out three and didn't walk a batter.
Juan Soto opened the first-inning scoring with a two-run triple, and Asdrubal Cabrera followed with an RBI single.
Suzuki's two-run homer to left gave Washington that early 5-0 lead as Wojciechowski needed 36 pitches to get through the inning.
The Orioles got one back in the third on an Anthony Santander double, and Chance Sisco hit a solo homer in the fifth that made it 5-2. But the Nationals broke things open with three in the bottom of the fifth.
Cabrera started things with an RBI double, and Suzuki's two-run double gave Washington an 8-2 lead.
Chris Davis cut the lead to 8-4 with a two-run homer in the top of the sixth, a 401-foot shot into the second deck.
--Field Level Media
Baltimore | Washington | |
Asher Wojciechowski | Player | Max Scherzer |
Loss | W/L | No Decision |
4.0 | IP | 4.1 |
3 | Strikeouts | 8 |
6 | Hits | 6 |
11.25 | ERA | 4.15 |
Baltimore | Washington | |
Trey Mancini | Player | Brian Dozier |
2 | Hits | 3 |
0 | RBI | 0 |
0 | HR | 0 |
2 | TB | 3 |
.667 | Avg | 1.000 |
Team | Hits | HR | TB | Avg | LOB | K | RBI | BB | SB | Errors |
Baltimore | 9 | 2 | 16 | .257 | 11 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Washington | 13 | 1 | 21 | .371 | 16 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 |