BALTIMORE (AP) — José Tena came around from second base to score the tiebreaking run on an infield hit by Nasim Nuñez in the ninth inning, and the Washington Nationals got home runs from Nathaniel Lowe and James Wood in a 4-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night.
After reaching on a walk from Félix Bautista (0-1) and taking second on a groundout, Tena was off and running when Nuñez hit a grounder to first baseman Ryan Mountcastle. Nuñez beat the throw to Bautista by a step before Tena came home.
Jorge López (6-0) worked the eighth and Kyle Finnegan got three outs to earn his 14th save.
Baltimore stranded 15 runners on base and went 4 for 15 with runners in scoring position.
Nationals starter MacKenzie Gore compiled some unusual numbers over 3 2/3 innings. The left-hander threw 102 pitches and struck out nine but yielded 10 hits, two walks and two runs.
Both center fielders made sensational catches early in the game. Baltimore's Cedric Mullins raced to the warning track before reaching out to his side to snag a drive by Nuñez in the third inning, and Jacob Young leaped at the wall to rob Mountcastle of a homer in the fourth.
Key moment
Bryan Baker got the Orioles out of a jam in the seventh by striking out pinch-hitter Luis Garcia Jr. and Nuñez with two men on. Then Wood tied it in the eighth with his 12th homer of the season.
Key stat
The Orioles got 14 hits, ending a 33-game run in which they had 11 or fewer. The team record is 35 straight, set in 1988 by the team that started 0-21.
Up next
The series continues Saturday with Nationals RHP Jake Irvin (2-1, 4.00 ERA) facing 37-year-old RHP Kyle Gibson (0-2, 13.11), who's yielded seven homers in his three starts this season.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
David Ginsburg, The Associated Press