José Tena's walk-off single in Washington debut sends Nationals past Angels 5-4 in 10 innings
WASHINGTON (AP) — José Tena hit a game-winning RBI single in the 10th inning hours after being called up from the minor leagues, and the Washington Nationals defeated the Los Angeles Angels 5-4 on Saturday night to earn their second walk-off victory in as many days.
James Wood homered and Alex Call had his fifth consecutive multi-hit game for Washington, which has won back-to-back games since sinking to a season-high 12 games under .500 on Thursday.
It was the Nationals’ third walk-off victory and 31st come-from-behind victory of the year.
Zach Neto smashed his 17th home run of the season as part of a three-hit night for the Angels.
CJ Abrams, serving as the automatic runner while pinch-running for catcher Keibert Ruiz, moved up to third on the first pitch from Roansy Contreras (2-2). Tena, who Washington acquired from Cleveland on July 29 and was making his debut with the Nationals, then ripped the next pitch off the wall in left-center to win it.
Derek Law (7-2) pitched two innings of one-hit ball for Washington. Four Nationals relievers combined to give up two hits and a walk in six scoreless innings.
Washington tied it in the seventh, 4-4, against Angels starter Griffin Canning. Wood doubled in Juan Yepez with none out, then came around when Tena swatted a single to left.
Canning matched a season high with seven innings, yielding four runs and eight hits without a walk or a strikeout.
The Nationals opened the scoring on Wood’s opposite-field homer into the visitor’s bullpen in left-center to lead off the second and took a 2-1 lead on Call’s sharp single through a drawn-in infield with one out in the third.
Call is batting .543 (19 for 35) with a homer and nine RBIs since his July 29 call-up.
The Angels took a 3-2 lead on Neto’s leadoff homer in the fifth off Patrick Corbin. After Logan O’Hoppe walked, Kevin Pillar drove him in with a double to right-center that ended Corbin’s night.
Brandon Drury drove in Los Angeles’ first two runs against the left-hander with a sacrifice fly in the second and an RBI single in the fourth.
Corbin allowed four runs and eight hits in four-plus innings. He is 0-3 with a 9.45 ERA in four attempts to earn his 100th career victory since defeating Cincinnati on July 19.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Angels: Los Angeles placed RHP José Marte (viral infection) on the 15-day injured list and recalled RHP Jack Kochanowicz from Double-A Rocket City.
Nationals: Abrams (upper back spasms) was out of the lineup for the second day in a row. … Washington recalled Tena from Triple-A Rochester, activated RHP Jordan Weems (shin splints) from the 15-day injured list and optioned RHP Joan Adon and INF Trey Lipscomb to Rochester. Tena was one of three players the Nationals acquired from Cleveland on July 29 for OF Lane Thomas.
UP NEXT
LHP MacKenzie Gore (7-9, 4.66 ERA) starts for Washington as the three-game series concludes. Los Angeles has not announced its starter for Sunday.
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