Washington Rolls Cincinnati 7-1 Behind Relentless Offense
Washington turned a one-run deficit into a seven-run blowout in the span of two innings, never trailing again after the second. Keibert Ruiz went a perfect 3-for-3, and the Nationals got contributions up and down the lineup in a dominant 7-1 win over Cincinnati on August 9.
Cincinnati drew first blood in the second inning when Myers hit a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Stephenson to put the Reds up 1-0. Washington answered immediately and emphatically. Ruiz singled to center, scoring Crews and moving Vivas to third — a play that swung Washington's win probability from 61% to 71% — and then Young followed with a sacrifice fly to left to score Vivas. Just like that, the Nationals had flipped the game 2-1 without the inning even cooling down. Abimelec Ortiz put the exclamation point on Washington's early takeover in the third, launching a solo home run 378 feet to left center to push the lead to 3-1.
The story of the middle innings appears to be how thoroughly Washington's pitching staff suffocated Cincinnati's offense. Will Dion opened with 3.0 innings, allowing just 1 hit with no walks and no runs. Brad Lord followed with 2.2 innings, striking out 4 while allowing 1 earned run. Trevor Williams closed it out with 2.1 innings of 1-hit, scoreless ball. On the other side, Brady Singer labored through 6.0 innings, surrendering 8 hits and 3 earned runs — the kind of outing that looks like it kept Cincinnati in the game on paper but never actually gave them a path back into it.
Washington kept piling on late. Daylen Lile singled to right in the seventh to score Abrams and push the lead to 4-1. Then the eighth inning turned into a two-run statement: Young grounded into a fielder's choice that scored Pinckney for 5-1, and Andres Chaparro capped the night with a two-run double to center, scoring both Young and Ruiz to make it 7-1. Chaparro finished 1-for-2 with 2 RBI, Young went 0-for-3 but drove in 2 runs, and Ruiz's perfect night at the plate — 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored — looks like the kind of performance that sets the tone for a lineup that clearly had no interest in letting Cincinnati hang around.