Oakland Athletics at Washington Nationals
· Major League Baseball7 - 8
Jeter Downs' RBI single caps 6-run 9th as Nationals rally past A's 8-7 for series sweep
Washington, which recorded its third sweep in its last seven series, has won eight of 11 overall and 12 of its last 14 at home. It was the first time the Nationals came back from a five-run deficit in the ninth to win since Sept. 3, 2019, when they scored seven to beat the New York Mets 11-10.
“This team has been relentless,” Washington manager Dave Martinez said. “They play hard. They don't give up. You talk about playing hard for 27 outs, and it shows. We're never out it.”
The Nationals were one of two teams with a big rally in the ninth Sunday; Miami scored five times to beat the New York Yankees 8-7. It was the first day with multiple comebacks of four runs or more in the ninth inning or later since July 9, 2010.
Rookie Zack Gelof homered twice for Oakland, which fell 52 games under .500 (33-85) for the first time since going 54-108 in 1979. The A's were swept for the 16th time this year — their most since getting swept 17 times in 1978.
Oakland closer Trevor May, working in a non-save situation in the ninth inning with a 7-2 lead, loaded the bases with one out before allowing Stone Garrett’s RBI single and Ildemaro Vargas’ sacrifice fly. May exited after walking Riley Adams to reload the bases, and Kirby Snead (1-1) entered and walked pinch-hitter Dominic Smith to force in a run that made it 7-5.
Alex Call hit a sharp grounder that shortstop Nick Allen — who entered as a defensive replacement in the eighth inning — booted for an error, allowing two runs to score. Downs then floated a base hit to center to score Smith and cap the unlikely comeback.
“You have to let this one go,” Oakland manager Mark Kotsay said. “It’s frustrating, obviously, on every level.”
Downs entered in the eighth inning to replace shortstop CJ Abrams, who had back spasms. He worked a walk to lead off the ninth, then capped the rally with his first hit as a National. He went 6-for-39 for Boston last season, his first in the majors.
“The way it all ended, that's why we play this game,” Downs said. “You don't ever think about something happening like that, especially down five. It definitely still feels surreal at this point.”
It was Washington's fifth walk-off victory of the season and second in as many days. Keibert Ruiz homered on the first pitch of the ninth Saturday and the Nationals won 3-2.
Joe La Sorsa (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings for his first major league victory.
The A’s jumped on Washington starter Trevor Williams in the first, starting with Gelof’s first homer. Brent Rooker followed that shot with a walk, and Seth Brown then ripped an 89 mph fastball to right to make it 3-0.
Garrett delivered a run-scoring double in the first inning. Oakland’s Aledmys Díaz had a two-out RBI single in the third to make it 4-1. Gelof led off the fifth with his eighth home run overall and seventh in his last 14 games, and Brown added a two-run single in the seventh.
Williams allowed five runs in 4 1/3 innings while striking out four. He has not made it through five innings in any of his last three starts and is 0-3 with a 11.08 ERA and seven home runs allowed in that span.
Williams has surrendered 28 home runs this season, second-most in the majors behind Lance Lynn’s 32 with the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Athletics starter Ken Waldichuk allowed a run on seven hits while striking out four over five innings.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Nationals: RHP Hunter Harvey (elbow) and RHP Tanner Rainey (Tommy John surgery) threw bullpen sessions Sunday. Martinez said Harvey should be ready to be activated in “the next couple days.” ... RHP Mason Thompson (left knee) will throw a simulated game Tuesday.
UP NEXT
Athletics: Oakland continues its trip Monday at St. Louis. LHP JP Sears (2-9, 4.32 ERA) has a 3.67 ERA over his last 16 starts.
Nationals: Washington is off Monday. RHP Josiah Gray (7-9, 3.69) starts the opener of a three-game series against Boston as the homestand continues Tuesday.
How can I watch Oakland Athletics vs. Washington Nationals?
- TV Channel: Athletics at Nationals 2022 MLB Baseball, is broadcasted on MLB.tv.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Matchup Prediction
Scoring Summary
9th Inning | Downs singled to center, Smith scored, Call to third. | |
9th Inning | Call to second on fielder's indifference. | |
9th Inning | Garrett scored, Rutherford scored, Smith to third, Call safe at first on fielding error by shortstop Allen. | |
9th Inning | Smith walked, Ruiz scored, Rutherford to second, Garrett to third. | |
9th Inning | Snead relieved May | |
9th Inning | Smith hit for Chavis |
Statistics
OAK | WSH | |
---|---|---|
1 | Games Played | 1 |
1 | Team Games Played | 1 |
1 | Hit By Pitch | 1 |
5 | Ground Balls | 14 |
10 | Strikeouts | 7 |
7 | Runs Batted In | 6 |
0 | Sacrifice Hit | 0 |
11 | Hits | 14 |
0 | Stolen Bases | 0 |
2 | Walks | 4 |
0 | Catcher Interference | 0 |
7 | Runs | 8 |
0 | Ground Into Double Play | 0 |
0 | Sacrifice Flies | 2 |
38 | At Bats | 39 |
3 | Home Runs | 0 |
0 | Grand Slam Home Runs | 0 |
22 | Runners Left On Base | 22 |
0 | Triples | 0 |
0 | Game Winning RBIs | 1 |
0 | Intentional Walks | 0 |
3 | Doubles | 3 |
23 | Fly Balls | 20 |
0 | Caught Stealing | 0 |
155 | Pitches | 186 |
0 | Games Started | 0 |
1 | Pinch At Bats | 0 |
0 | Pinch Hits | 0 |
0.0 | Player Rating | 0.0 |
1 | Is Qualified | 1 |
0 | Is Qualified In Steals | 0 |
23 | Total Bases | 17 |
41 | Plate Appearances | 46 |
486.0 | Projected Home Runs | 0.0 |
6 | Extra Base Hits | 3 |
7.7 | Runs Created | 7.7 |
.289 | Batting Average | .359 |
.000 | Pinch Hit Average | .000 |
.605 | Slugging Percentage | .436 |
.368 | Secondary Average | .179 |
.341 | On Base Percentage | .413 |
.947 | OBP Pct + SLG Pct | .849 |
0.2 | Ground To Fly Ball Ratio | 0.7 |
7.7 | Runs Created Per 27 Outs | 7.7 |
54.0 | Batter Rating | 48.0 |
12.7 | At Bats Per Home Run | 0.0 |
0.00 | Stolen Base Percentage | 0.00 |
3.78 | Pitches Per Plate Appearance | 4.04 |
.316 | Isolated Power | .077 |
0.20 | Walk To Strikeout Ratio | 0.57 |
.049 | Walks Per Plate Appearance | .087 |
.079 | Secondary Average Minus Batting Average | -.179 |
14.0 | Runs Produced | 14.0 |
1.0 | Runs Ratio | 0.8 |
0.7 | Patience Ratio | 0.5 |
0.3 | Balls In Play Average | 0.4 |
98.5 | MLB Rating | 97.8 |
0.0 | Offensive Wins Above Replacement | 0.0 |
0.0 | Wins Above Replacement | 0.0 |
Game Information
Location: Washington, District of Columbia
Attendance: 19,240 | Capacity:
2024 American League West Standings
TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Houston | 88 | 73 | .547 | - | W2 |
Seattle | 85 | 77 | .525 | 3.5 | W4 |
Texas | 78 | 84 | .481 | 10.5 | W3 |
Oakland | 69 | 93 | .426 | 19.5 | L3 |
Los Angeles | 63 | 99 | .389 | 25.5 | L6 |
2024 National League East Standings
TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Philadelphia | 95 | 67 | .586 | - | W1 |
Atlanta | 89 | 73 | .549 | 6 | W1 |
New York | 89 | 73 | .549 | 6 | L1 |
Washington | 71 | 91 | .438 | 24 | L1 |
Miami | 62 | 100 | .383 | 33 | W4 |