Crews, Abrams Go Deep as Washington Edges Tampa Bay 4-3

Washington got home runs from both Dylan Crews and CJ Abrams to beat Tampa Bay 4-3 on Saturday. The two solo shots accounted for two of Washington's four runs and proved to be exactly the margin the Nationals needed.

Dylan Crews went 2-for-4 with a home run, 1 RBI, and 2 runs scored — the most complete offensive line on either side. CJ Abrams added a 1-for-4 night of his own, with a home run and an RBI. Nasim Nunez chipped in a 2-for-4 performance with an RBI to round out a Washington offense that tagged starter Ian Seymour for 7 hits and 3 earned runs across his 5.0 innings. Tampa Bay's Junior Caminero was the best hitter on the field — going a perfect 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored — but the Rays couldn't generate enough around him. Yandy Diaz went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run, and Chandler Simpson added a 2-for-4 line with an RBI. The problem for Tampa Bay is that those contributions added up to only 3 runs, and that's a math problem no lineup can solve.

The pitching story of the night was Brad Lord's short but dominant start. Lord threw just 3.0 innings but allowed only 2 hits, walked nobody, and struck out 5. That's an efficient, electric line — and the kind of outing that appears to have set the tone early. Mitchell Parker followed with 2.1 innings of 1-hit, scoreless relief, adding 2 strikeouts and keeping Tampa Bay's offense completely quiet after the middle innings. On the other side, Cole Sulser was immaculate out of the Tampa Bay bullpen — 2.0 innings, no hits, no walks, 4 strikeouts — but it was too little, too late. Seymour's 3-run damage in the first five frames was the wound the Rays couldn't close.

The story of this game, in the end, looks like a tale of two offenses that both had their moments but only one that delivered them at the right time. Washington's power — two home runs from two different hitters — gave the Nationals a cushion that Tampa Bay's contact-heavy approach couldn't overcome. Caminero's perfect 3-for-3 night is the kind of performance that deserves a win, and it's hard not to look at that line and feel like Tampa Bay left something on the table. Washington's bullpen held the door shut when it mattered most, and that appears to be the difference between a close loss and a close win.