Washington Nationals avoid sweep with 10-9 win over Cincinnati Reds in GABP

With wins in the first two games of this weekend's three-game set in Cincinnati, the Reds (21-35) improved to 5-0 against the Washington Nationals (33-23) in the last five games between the teams in Great American Ball Park.

The Reds also had wins in six of the last seven games against the Nats in GABP and wins in four of five and six of their last eight overall this season.

The Nationals' last win in the Reds' home, before today's, came back in July of 2014, but they managed to salvage the finale of the series with a 10-9 victory this afternoon, rallying from an early 5-0 deficit for a comeback win.

Cincinnati struck first with a walk and back-to-back singles loading the bases with no one out vs Tanner Roark in the bottom of the second before Reds' shortstop Ivan De Jesus, Jr. drove a 1-1 fastball to left field for a two-run double, with an error by Ben Revere allowing a third run to score, 3-0.

Tyler Holt drove in two more runs with a soft liner to center field, 5-0, and Roark ended up throwing 41 pitches in a long, six-hit second, leaving him at 54 pitches total after two.

Bryce Harper singled to right for the Nationals' first hit off Reds' righty Jon Moscot with one down in the third and the second hit followed in the next at bat when Daniel Murphy crushed a 1-0 fastball, sending a two-run shot 407 feet to right, 5-2 Reds. Murphy's 10th.

Wilson Ramos went back-to-back with Murphy, hitting an opposite field homer to right on a hanging 3-2 slider for his eighth home run on the year. 5-3 Reds. Stephen Drew hit for Roark with two on and two out and singled to center to make it a 5-4 game. That was it for Moscot...

Daniel Wright took over on the mound for the Reds and gave up a game-tying single to right by Ben Revere, 5-5 after four.

Tanner Roark's Line: 3.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 3 Ks, 62 P, 40 S, 2/2 GO/FO.

Jon Moscot's Line: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 Ks, 2 HR, 76 P, 48 S, 5/2 GO/FO.

Washington loaded the bases with no one out in the fifth, with Harper, Murphy and Ramos all singling and an error by the catcher, Tucker Barnhart, on a throw home on a weak grounder off Anthony Rendon's bat allowed two runs in, 7-5 Nationals, before a sac fly by Clint Robinson brought Ramos in, 8-5.

Murphy drove in a run with an RBI single in the sixth, 9-5, and scored on a chopper by Ramos that bounced off Reds' righty JC Ramirez's knee and ricocheted out into right. 10-5.

Sammy Solis was up to five straight strikeouts and six Ks overall after he completed his third scoreless frame in relief of Roark in the sixth.

Felipe Rivero struck out the first batter he faced in the seventh, but a walk to Joey Votto, a single by Brandon Phillips and a three-run blast by Jay Bruce followed as the Reds pulled within two, 10-8.

Shawn Kelley finished off the seventh and came back out in the eighth with a scoreless eighth.

Jonathan Papelbon took the mound in the ninth and put the first two runners on front of Brandon Phillips, who hit an RBI double to left to make it 10-9 Nationals. Jay Bruce got the intentional walk to load the bases with no one out in a 10-9 game.

Adam Duvall popped to short for out No.1. Zack Cozart stepped in next and went down swinging at an 0-2 slider. Ivan De Jesus, Jr. got a two-out opportunity... and sent a fly to center to end it. [wipes brow]. Ballgame.

Nationals now 34-23

NATS NOTES:

• Washington started the series finale in Cincinnati winless in their last five games in Great American Ball Park, looking to avoid the second road sweep of the season. The first came in Chicago last month, when Washington dropped four in a row to the Cubs.
• Washington started the day today with the fourth-best record in the majors (33-23), behind only the Texas Rangers (33-22), San Francisco Giants (35-23) and Chicago Cubs (39-15).
• After back-to-back losses in Great American Ball Park, the Nationals are 18-12 on the road this season, giving them the third-best road record in the majors, behind the Giants (19-12) and Cubs (17-8).
• With back-to-back wins over the Nationals, the Reds have won 6 of their last 8 and 4 of their last 5 going into today's series finale.
• Cincinnati also improved to 7-1 in the last eight games with Washington, including five straight in Cincinnati and 6 of the last 7 in GABP.
• Wilson Ramos finished the game on Saturday with a .342 AVG after going 1 for 3 against the Reds, and he currently leads all catchers (with a minimum of 150 PAs) in AVG, OBP (.386) and SLG (.546). He homered to right again today.
• Daniel Murphy started the series finale leading the majors in multi-hit games (26) and batting average (.379), and he was ranked second in hits (78) and second in OPS (1.023). He homered in singled the second and third times up to give him 27 multi-hit games on the year.
• In three starts vs the Reds before today, Nationals' starter Tanner Roark had a 1.89 ERA in 19 IP.
• Adam Duvall had home runs in each of the first two games against the Nationals and in each of the last three games overall heading into today's series finale.

Nationals now 34-23