Nats clutch with two outs in win over Red Sox (updated)

BOSTON – The Nationals arrived at Fenway Park with a rough history in the landmark ballpark.

Entering tonight’s opener of a three-game series, they were 15-24 all-time against the Red Sox and 5-13 at Fenway.

But the 2024 Nationals do not care much for history. They came to face a streaky Red Sox team with a similar record as their third straight American League East opponent. And they came away victorious.

The Nationals beat the Red Sox 5-1 to get back over .500 on a cold 51-degree Boston evening in front of an announced crowd of 31,313 fans. And they did so with some nifty two-out hitting and gutsy pitching, including from starter Patrick Corbin.

Facing right-hander Tanner Houck, who entered tonight’s start with a 1.99 ERA and 0.971 WHIP over his first seven outings, the Nats were able to put pressure on him with two outs in the early innings.

Keibert Ruiz, Eddie Rosario and Trey Lipscomb recorded three straight two-out hits off Houck in the second, with Lipscomb’s single to right scoring the two runners on base for a 2-0 lead. Lipscomb almost made it a three-run inning when he came around from second on Victor Robles’ first hit since returning from the injured list. But he was thrown out at home by Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran to end the frame.

"The same thing I've been working on for the last few years," Robles said via interpreter Octavio Martinez. "It's just looking for a good pitch, staying patient and trying to make good contact.”

However, the Nats came right back with more pressure in the third. Luis García Jr. hit a double off the Green Monster in left field and then scored on Joey Meneses’ slow grounder to right to make it 3-0.

Meneses’ single came at a mere 68.2 mph off the bat. Lipscomb's two-run single had an expected batting average of .190. Meneses had an expected average of .080. But they got the job done.

“We stayed on the baseball," manager Davey Martinez said. "Like I said, we were just really trying to stay in the middle of the field. And they did really well. The two-strike approach was way better today. So they're battling up there. They're battling. The big thing for us is to get on base. It really is. Move the baseball and get on for the next guy. Good things happen.”

The Nats scored two insurance runs in the ninth, with Rosario coming home on a wild pitch from Kenley Jansen and Robles scoring Lipscomb with a single to left. Robles finished 2-for-4 with an RBI at the plate, and with an outfield assist and an impressive catch by the Pesky Pole while playing right field.

"It felt great. I felt very good," Robles said of his triumphant return to the lineup. "Even better after I was able to contribute to help the team win. It felt great.”

Meanwhile, Corbin, too, found himself in an early two-out jam. But unlike Houck, he was able to get out of it.

After recording two quick outs in the first, the veteran lefty gave up a double, walk and single. But Tyler O’Neill was thrown out at the plate by a nice throw from Robles to Ruiz to keep the Sox off the board.

Corbin entered tonight with a 10.29 ERA (16 rubs in 14 innings) in the first two innings over his first seven starts. He put up three zeros to begin his eighth.

“Sometimes I think they try to hop on the starters a little bit early," he said. "Maybe when you're not as sharp, you're still trying to feel out some pitches. But it's good to get out of that first ending with a zero and then kind of settle in and make some quality pitches as the game went on.”

He did give up a two-out double in the fourth to Garrett Cooper to cut the Nats’ lead to 3-1. And then he got into another jam in the fifth, with two singles and runners on the corners with one out. But he struck out O’Neill with an 85 mph cutter and got Rafael Devers to ground into a force out at second.

Corbin's final line was one of his better ones of the season: five innings, seven hits, one rub, one walk and four strikeouts on 86 pitches, 54 strikes. And with that, he earned his first win of the season.

“I got into a good rhythm as the game went on," he said. "I thought we used all the pitches well. Pitched them in, pitched them away, change of speeds. That last inning there, the two infield hits there to get into a jam and then made some good pitches after that. So it was just good to get through five there and keep the lead there. We tacked on a couple of runs late and kind of put the game out of reach.”

“That was great," Davey Martinez said. "I always say, if we come out and jump to get the lead early, it gets our pitchers to relax a little bit. We did that and he was able to settle in a little bit. He gave us what we needed. And the bullpen came in and shut it down.”

Derek Law was the first reliever out of the bullpen and got himself into a bases-loaded jam with a single and back-to-back two-out walks. But Robert Garcia came in to face the left-handed Duran and struck him out looking at three fastballs, the last one clocking in at 95 mph and placed perfectly on the outside corner of the plate.

Hunter Harvey erased a leadoff walk with a double play and strikeout in the seventh. And Dylan Floro pitched a perfect eighth, lowering his ERA to 0.47.

With it no longer being a save situation, Kyle Finnegan, seeking to stand alone as the major league saves leader with 13, took a seat in the bullpen and Jacob Barnes closed out the win.

“They've been great throughout the whole season," Corbin said. "Really good stuff down there. Starters have kept us in games. We've scored at times that matter. And those guys have been really good. They come in, they throw strikes. They make it tough on their guys. A lot of different views and different arm angles. So just gotta keep it going.

So it was that the Nats began their first trip to Fenway since August 2020 and their first trip here with fans in the stands since April 2015 with a crafty win.

“It was overall a good day for our team. A good day for Corbin," Davey Martinez said. "We played well. We scored one more than the other guys, which is always nice. And we got to come back tomorrow and do it again.”

"This is the first win," Corbin said. "Try to win the series tomorrow. It's the start of a long road trip. We got one today.”