WASHINGTON -- After being held to just six runs in their previous four games and being no-hit through four innings of their series opener against the Rockies on Monday, the Nationals weren’t looking for style points as they came to bat in the fifth inning facing a 2-0 deficit.
They needed runs. They eventually came mostly via small ball -- an infield single, a bloop single, a sac bunt, a two-base throwing error, two doubles, two stolen bases and another error. When the dust settled, the anemic-of-late Nationals offense scored five times in the frame en route to an eventual 13-3 win.
“We've been struggling to score runs, right?” said manager Blake Butera. “I think once we kind of cracked it open a little bit and some runs started crossing the plate, you could kind of sense some energy and almost a weight off the shoulders: 'All right, now we go.'”
In his return to the lineup after a four-game absence, CJ Abrams drove in the go-ahead run with a double down the right-field line with none out in the fifth. Abrams finished 1-for-4 with a walk, two stolen bases, two runs scored and his team-leading 92nd RBI.
“Just try to make things happen,” Abrams said of the impact he can have on the lineup. “Bring good energy. It’s contagious, so just bring good vibes and have fun out there.”
Among the Nationals’ offensive catalysts for much of the season, Abrams’ return from a sprained ankle was a welcome boost for the Majors’ highest-scoring team, which has been a shell of its former self for much of August.
The five-run fifth against Colorado, though, got the Nationals going with three more runs coming in the sixth via a bases-loaded walk and a two-run single from Daylen Lile. Jorbit Vivas, who picked up three hits in a three-inning stretch, delivered a two-run single in the seventh. Lile then capped off a 3-for-5 night with a three-run homer in the eighth.
“It looks like he's starting to get in his groove again,” Butera said of Lile, who had a career-high five RBIs. “We all know the type of player he can be. He knows the type of player he can be. I think the biggest thing for Daylen is seeing some balls fall, and once he gets a little taste of success, that belief comes back.”
Abrams served as the Nationals’ lead-off man and designated hitter in his return, which also produced a trickle-down effect with Lile moving back to the cleanup spot.
“CJ just brings that energy,” Lile said. “Whenever you need that clutch hit, that big hit, he always comes through. I feel like that’s something we take as a team and look forward to [building] momentum.”
The plan remains for Abrams to transition from shortstop to second base, although he did not take any infield practice on Monday as he focused instead on mobility drills to test his ankle.
Abrams was active on the basepaths with his two steals bringing his season total up to 26. In the process, Abrams joined Pete Crow Armstrong as the only players this season with at least 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases.
“He's one of the best players in the league, so whenever you're missing him, you feel it as a group,” Butera said. “Just him being in the lineup, his presence in the lineup takes some weight off a lot of guys' shoulders and also just makes the whole group feel good about the game.”
On the mound, Cade Cavalli overcame some traffic on the basepaths to produce a ninth consecutive quality start.
“I wasn’t executing at the level that I wanted to,” he said. “It’s a bit of a wake-up call. You have to bear down, nobody is feeling sorry for you, so you have to bring your own energy and grind through it.”
Cavalli saw a 20-inning scoreless streak end when Rockies center fielder Jake McCarthy launched a first-pitch homer off the right-field foul pole to lead off the fourth inning. The next two Rockies both reached, but Cavalli escaped the two-on, none-out jam, ending the frame with back-to-back strikeouts.
The Rockies doubled their lead in the fifth with Ezequiel Tovar hitting a solo homer to straightaway center that just eluded Jacob Young, who was seeking his second highlight-reel grab in as many days.
Perhaps buoyed by the Nationals' five-run fifth, Cavalli ended his outing with an 11-pitch 1-2-3 sixth, striking out Connor Norby swinging to end his night.
Making his league-leading 28th start of the season, Cavalli tossed six innings, allowing two runs and five hits with a walk and seven strikeouts. The Nationals’ ace improved to 7-1 with a 1.98 ERA (11 earned runs over 50 innings) across his last eight starts.
“I actually like seeing these types of outings from Cade,” Butera said. “It just shows a lot of growth… Tonight, not having his best stuff but still finding a way to get through six innings and only give up two earned. You're looking back and saying 'Ah, he wasn't as sharp,' and then you look up and it's a pretty good outing.”