Carlos Santana ripped a three-run double during an eight-run sixth inning to help the Cleveland Guardians notch an 8-6 victory over the host Washington Nationals on Wednesday afternoon.
Gabriel Arias had four hits and Angel Martinez contributed a tiebreaking two-run single as Cleveland took two of three in the series against the Nationals. The Guardians have won seven of their past nine games.
Amed Rosario had three hits and two RBIs and CJ Abrams and James Wood also had three hits apiece for Washington, which had 13 hits and left 15 runners on base. The Nationals have dropped two straight games after winning four of their previous five.
Kolby Allard pitched a perfect eighth inning for the Guardians and Emmanuel Clase worked around a one-out single in the ninth to record his eighth save.
Washington’s Mike Soroka (0-2) was activated prior to the game after missing five-plus weeks with a right biceps injury. He blanked Cleveland over five innings and held a 3-0 lead before things fell apart in the sixth, when the Guardians sent 13 batters to the plate.
Steven Kwan and Daniel Schneeman led off the inning with singles and Jose Ramirez was hit by a pitch. Santana ripped a three-run double down the right-field line to tie the score and finish Soroka’s outing.
Martinez stroked a two-run ground single off Jorge Lopez later in the inning to put the Guardians ahead. The next two Cleveland runs scored on Andrew Chafin’s wild pitch and Brayan Rocchio’s groundout before Ramirez culminated the frame with an RBI single to make it 8-3.
The Nationals scored three times in the seventh as Abrams hit an RBI single and Rosario followed with a two-run single.
Soroka struck out eight in five-plus innings. He was charged with four runs, five hits and two walks.
Logan Allen gave up three runs and seven hits in four-plus innings for the Guardians. He walked four and struck out three.
Cleveland’s Joey Cantillo (1-0) pitched a scoreless fifth inning.
Washington scored the game’s first run in the second as Alex Call doubled off the right field wall to start the inning and scored on Alex Young’s two-out double to right.
In the third, Call delivered a run-scoring single to make it 2-0. Two batters later, Luis Garcia Jr. drove in another with a sacrifice fly.
