PHILADELPHIA -- It took 11 innings and a pinch-hitting starting pitcher for the Nationals to break a seven-game losing skid on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park.
The 10-4 win was the result of a true team effort -- down to Thursday’s starter Miles Mikolas driving in a run less than 24 hours before he was scheduled to take the mound.
The NL East foes swapped runs in the 10th inning to take a 3-3 tie into the 11th.
With automatic runner Brady House on second base, Jacob Young drew a walk against Caleb Kilian. CJ Abrams rocked a Statcast-projected 407-foot deep fly ball, which just missed sailing over the center-field wall. Instead, his go-ahead triple drove in two runs to take a 6-4 lead.
Out of available position players, manager Blake Butera called on Mikolas to take his first at-bat since 2021. Seeing a 95.7 mph fastball inside, Mikolas successfully laid down a sacrifice bunt to drive in Abrams from third base.
Mikolas’ versatile heroics came nearly five years to the day since the last Nationals pitcher recorded an RBI. On Aug. 6, 2021, Erick Fedde drove in a run against the Braves.
The victory comes at a pivotal time for the Nationals, who went from vying for a Wild Card spot to trying to find their footing in the standings.
They traded Luis García Jr., Foster Griffin and Curtis Mead in a series of moves leading up to Monday's 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline. On Tuesday, star slugger James Wood was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a left oblique strain. And on Wednesday afternoon, veteran right-hander Zack Littell was designated for assignment.