Early offense sparks Nationals to another win over Giants

Luis Garcia Jr. hit the 11th pitch of the game for a two-run homer, James Wood had three hits and scored twice, and the visiting Washington Nationals made it two straight wins over the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday with a front-running 6-3 victory.

Andrew Alvarez and four relievers overcame nine hits and seven walks to limit the Giants to three runs, helping the Nationals improve to 4-1 on a six-game Western swing.

Garcia’s homer, his eighth, came off Adrian Houser (2-6) following a game-opening single by Wood. The blast gave the Nationals a lead they never relinquished.

Washington tacked on a run in the fifth when Jacob Young tripled and scored on a single by Wood. The Nationals benefitted from the Giants’ generosity to create a three-run margin in the seventh on a run-scoring wild pitch thrown by Erik Miller and a bases-loaded walk drawn by Daylen Lile.

Alvarez labored through four-plus innings in which he allowed five hits and five walks, throwing 90 pitches. He was pulled with a shutout but with two runners on base, and Jung Hoo Lee lashed a two-run double off reliever Brad Lord to get the hosts within 3-2.

The runs were charged to Alvarez, who struck out four.

Lord (4-0) pitched out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam to end the fifth and retain the one-run lead. He then teamed with Richard Lovelady, Clayton Beeter and Orlando Ribalta to shut out the Giants the rest of the way until Bryce Eldridge launched his third home run of the season, a solo shot, with two outs in the ninth.

The Nationals completed their scoring in the top of the ninth when Lile smacked the game’s fourth triple to score CJ Abrams, who had reached base on a two-out error.

Houser worked 4 1/3 innings and gave up three runs and four hits. He struck out six without issuing a walk.

Young finished with two hits and two runs while Lile drove in a pair of runs for the Nationals, who began their trip by taking two of three from the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Lee, Eldridge and Luis Arraez each had a pair of hits for the Giants, who dropped their fifth straight home game. Eldridge added a double and two walks to his homer.

The Giants out-hit the visitors 9-8 but stranded 13 baserunners.

–Field Level Media