CLEVELAND -- The first two games of the Nationals’ road trip to Progressive Field was punctuated by lackadaisical play and offensive stagnation.
That changed in the finale, as the Nationals rode a four-run second inning to a 5-2 win over the Guardians Sunday.
The bottom of Washington’s lineup led the charge in the win, as Eddie Rosario (the No. 6 hitter), Joey Meneses (No. 7), Joey Gallo (No. 8) and Ildemaro Vargas (No. 9) combined for five hits, three RBIs and four runs.
Meneses opened the scoring with a two-run double off Cleveland starter Carlos Carrasco in the second inning before Vargas tacked on another run with an RBI single. Lane Thomas finished off the second inning outburst with an RBI single, meaning the Nationals scored more runs in that inning (four) than they did in the first two games of the series (three).
“We harp on trying to score first to help our starter settle in, and it’s really important we understand that we need to beat up the other starter and let our pitcher settle down,” manager Dave Martinez said.
The Nationals added on another run in the fourth inning when Gallo walked, advanced to third on a Vargas single and scored on a sacrifice fly from Thomas.
Thomas and Vargas' contributions were especially impressive considering the circumstances around the lineup Sunday. Both players moved into different roles due to injuries to Jacob Young and CJ Abrams (Thomas led off and played center while Vargas played short) and were able to step up.
“You just fill in and try to do the best you can to pick those guys up while they’re dealing with a few things,” Thomas said. “It was good. Vargas has done a great job coming in and getting some base hits and playing good defense. That’s all you can ask from a guy like that.”
Jake Irvin continued the Nationals’ run of strong starting pitching, as he allowed two runs on five hits over six innings for his third consecutive quality start.
Cleveland had a chance to tie the game in the fifth inning when it had runners on first and second but one out, but Irvin was able to get Tyler Freeman to ground into an inning-ending double play three pitches after he was visited on the mound by pitching coach Jim Hickey.
“Great visit by 'Hick,'” Irvin said. “He pointed out that it was a good opportunity for a ground ball in the first couple innings, so I just wanted to execute my pitches and those guys turned it behind me. It was awesome. I was fired up.”
Irvin once again leaned on his curveball, as he threw the pitch 40 times, generating six whiffs and nine called strikes with it. Irvin ranks fourth among qualified pitchers in curveball usage this season (32.1 percent).
“I feel like I’m keeping guys off balance with it,” Irvin said. “If I’m able to land it for strikes, it’s a good weapon for me. It’s something I have a lot of trust in."
The Nationals early offense was a godsend for Irvin, who received two or fewer runs of support in 8 of his 11 starts entering Sunday.
“It’s awesome,” Irvin said of the early run support. “It makes my job a lot easier. I just need to go out there, pound the zone and keep us in the game. Those guys took a little bit of the weight off my shoulders."
While the Nationals dropped the first two games of the series in Cleveland, Sunday’s win gave them a winning road trip against two of the best teams in baseball (the Braves and Guardians). Now, the Nats head home to take on the Mets, a team that’s staring up at the Nationals in the standings.
“Coming out [of the road trip] 4-3 is awesome,” Martinez said. “We’ve got another team coming in that we’ve got to prepare for, but that was a good win for us.”