Nationals 4, Reds 1: Tanner Roark pitched seven solid innings to win his third straight start and Denard Span recorded four hits for the second consecutive game as Washington handed host Cincinnati its seventh loss in a row.
Anthony Rendon and Adam LaRoche each had two hits and an RBI while Zach Walters and Span also drove in runs for the Nationals, who won for the fifth time in seven games since the All-Star break despite leaving 12 on base. Roark (10-6) allowed one run for the third straight start while yielding three hits and striking out six.
Ryan Ludwick drove in the run with his 900th career hit for the Reds, who haven't lost this many in a row since an eight-game skid in 2009. Alfredo Simon (12-5) permitted three runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings en route to losing his second straight start after winning a career-high six consecutive decisions.
Washington exploded for three runs and five hits in the fourth with Walters - replacing the injured Ryan Zimmerman - producing an RBI double, and Span and Rendon adding run-scoring singles. Roark retired the first nine batters he faced before Billy Hamilton led off the fourth with a single and scored on Ludwick's two-out infield hit.
The Nationals restored their three-run advantage in the sixth when Span singled with one out and scored on LaRoche's two-out single to center. Cincinnati's Devin Mesoraco doubled with two outs in the ninth against Rafael Soriano to put runners at second and third before Brayan Pena popped out as Soriano recorded his 24th save.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Washington recorded a double-digit hit total for the eighth straight contest after registering 12 on Friday - the second-longest streak in the majors this season to Milwaukee's nine. ...The Reds are 2-9 since 2B Brandon Phillips left the lineup with a thumb injury. ... Washington leads the National League with a run differential of plus-74 and is third in the majors behind Oakland and the Los Angeles Angels.
Washington | Cincinnati | |
Tanner Roark | Player | Alfredo Simon |
Win | W/L | Loss |
7.0 | IP | 4.1 |
6 | Strikeouts | 3 |
3 | Hits | 9 |
1.29 | ERA | 6.23 |
Washington | Cincinnati | |
Denard Span | Player | Ryan Ludwick |
4 | Hits | 1 |
1 | RBI | 1 |
0 | HR | 0 |
4 | TB | 1 |
.800 | Avg | .333 |
Team | Hits | HR | TB | Avg | LOB | K | RBI | BB | SB | Errors |
Washington | 12 | 0 | 14 | .316 | 25 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
Cincinnati | 4 | 0 | 5 | .129 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |