Lane Thomas’ 10th-inning sacrifice fly lifts the Nationals over the Tigers 5-4
DETROIT - DETROIT (AP) — Lane Thomas hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the 10th inning and the Washington Nationals beat the Detroit Tigers 5-4 on Tuesday night.
Andrew Chafin (3-2) struck out C.J. Abrams to start the 10th, but Jacob Young took third and Abrams reached first when the pitch sailed past Tigers catcher Jake Rogers.
Thomas put the Nationals ahead 5-4 with a sacrifice fly before Jesse Winker hit into an inning-ending double play.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - JUNE 11: Riley Greene #31 of the Detroit Tigers slides home against Keibert Ruiz #20 of the Washington Nationals after hitting a triple during the bottom of the fifth inning at Comerica Park on June 11, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan.
Kyle Finnegan (2-3), who got the last out of the ninth, pitched a perfect 10th to get the win.
Nationals starter Mitchell Parker allowed four unearned runs in 4 2/3 innings.
Tigers starter Kenta Maeda allowed one run on one hit in four innings. He only threw 40 of his 77 pitches for strikes, walking four while striking out five.
Maeda only lasted two pitches in his previous start, leaving with abdominal discomfort, and struggled on Tuesday.
He started the game with six straight balls, and although he got through the first two innings without allowing a hit, he lost the strike zone in the third. He walked three batters, including Winker with the bases loaded, before striking out Eddie Rosario.
The Nationals made it 3-0 in the fifth. Abrams hit an RBI triple and scored on Thomas’ foul pop-up behind first. Mark Canha made a running catch, but Abrams easily beat the throw.
Parker, though, cost himself in the bottom of the inning. He misplayed Andy Ibanez’s routine two-out grounder, then walked Canha to load the bases.
Riley Greene hit a 1-2 fastball off the wall in right center field for a three-run triple, then scored the go-ahead run when Luis Garcia Jr.’s relay throw sailed past third.
The Nationals took advantage of two Tigers errors to tie the game on Ildemaro Vargas’ sacrifice fly.
TRAINER’S ROOM
The Tigers placed SS Javier Báez on the 10-day injured list with lumbar spine inflammation. Báez is batting .183 with one home run in 53 games this season. Detroit recalled INF Ryan Kreidler from Triple-A Toledo.
UP NEXT
The teams play for the second time in a three-game series on Wednesday night. RHP Reese Olson (1-7, 3.43 ERA) is scheduled to start for Detroit against RHP Jake Irvin (4-5, 3.12).