Washington Nationals 10-4 over Arizona Diamondbacks: Nats bash their way to second straight over D-Backs

Dusty Baker was happy with last night’s 19-hit, 14-run offensive explosion, coming as it did after the Washington Nationals dropped two straight to San Francisco in AT&T Park in which they scored four runs total.

"It was good for the guys to break out," Baker told reporters after the Nationals’ 14-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the series opener in Chase Field.

"Some guys had some real big nights and got some guys hopefully heating up.

"I know a lot of people say, ‘Why don’t you save some runs for tomorrow,’ but I’m trying to hope that they memorize how to do that."

"We were aggressive and we finally got some runs in the first inning, we jumped them in the first inning."

They didn’t break it open until the top of the fifth inning tonight, when Wilson Ramos and Chris Heisey hit back-to-back blasts, but the Nationals cruised from there and took the second straight from the D-Backs with a 15-hit, 10-run output in a 10-4 win.

Here’s how it happened:

The Nationals jumped on former Nats’ prospect and current D-Backs’ starter Robbie Ray in the first, with back-to-back singles by Trea Turner and Jayson Werth to start the game and an RBI groundout by Daniel Murphy to make it 1-0 after the opening frame.

Nats’ right-hander Tanner Roark gave that run right back, however, with two singles around a walk loading the bases with no one out.

A run scored on a 4-6-3 double play grounder off Jake Lamb’s bat, but that was all the D-Backs got, 1-1 after one.

Yasmany Tomas sent a 2-2 change from Roark screaming into the left field stands for a solo shot in the second that put the D-Backs up 2-1. HR No. 18 of the season for Tomas, and just the third Roark had allowed in his last 45+ IP.

Anthony Rendon doubled to start the top of the fourth (No. 23), but was still standing on second two outs later when Wilmer Difo came through with an RBI single to center that tied it up, 2-2.

Wilson Ramos and Chris Heisey went back-to-back in the Nationals’ fifth, with Ramos jacking a 1-2 slider from Ray for a two-out, three-run blast and Heisey following with a solo shot on a first-pitch fastball to make it 6-2 in a hurry. No. 16 for Ramos. No. 5 for Heisey.

Jake Lamb went yard in the sixth, taking a hanging 0-2 curve from Roark for a ride and a solo home run to right that got the D-Backs within three, 6-3. No. 22 for Lamb.

Robbie Ray’s Line: 6.0 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 9 Ks, 2 HRs, 107 P, 75 Ks, 6/2 GO/FO.

Jayson Werth made it a four-run lead again when he homered off D-Backs’ reliever Randall Delgado in the first at bat of the seventh.

Werth lined a 1-2 fastball out to left for his 13th blast of the 2016 campaign to make it 7-3 Nationals.

Tanner Roark gave up a leadoff double in the D-Backs’ seventh and was lifted with one down. Blake Treinen got two outs with three pitches to strand the runner he inherited.

Tanner Roark’s Line: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 Ks, 2 HRs, 103 P, 68 S, 7/1 GO/FO.

Wilmer Difo (3 for 4) singled with one down and scored on a two-out RBI single by Trea Turner (2 for 5) that put the Nationals up 8-3 in the 8th.

Daniel Murphy drove Turner in, 9-3, and Anthony Rendon drove in the Nats’ 10th run of the game and their 24th run of the series, 10-3.

The D-Backs scored one in the ninth, but that’s as close as they got. Ballgame 10-4 Nationals final.

Nationals now 63-44

NATS NOTES:

• With last night’s win, Washington improved to 43-30 against Arizona in the all-time series between the two teams (since 2005).
• In today’s Nationals-themed "Fun with Arbitrary End Points" segment: The Nationals are 19-8 against the Diamondbacks with wins in 10 of the last 13 games... since 2012
• With the Nationals’ win in the series opener with the D-Backs, they improved to 62-44 overall on the year, good for the second-best record in the National League, behind only the Chicago Cubs (64-41) and tied for the second-best in the majors with the Texas Rangers.
• Washington’s +125 run differential (after they outscored Arizona 14-1 last night) is the second-best in the majors, behind only the... (damn them) Chicago Cubs (+169).
• With a single in the first last night, Jayson Werth extended his on-base streak to 34-straight games, over which he’s collected 29 hits and 26 walks. He singled in his first at bat tonight, extending his on-base streak to 35-straight games.
• D-Backs’ first baseman Paul Goldschmidt has reached base in 30 of his last 34 games with a .320 AVG over that stretch (41 for 128). He made it 31 of the last 35 with a single in the first.
• In today’s Diamondbacks-themed "Fun with Arbitrary End Points" segment: D-Backs’ infielder Jean Segura has a .358/.433/.566 line with five doubles, two homers, five walks and three steals... in his last 14 games.
• Daniel Murphy had hits in 15 of 17 games (after going 3 for 3 last night) with a .414 AVG, nine doubles, a triple, six home runs and 14 runs scored over that stretch.
• Murphy started the night leading the NL in AVG (.355), SLG (.626), hits (134), doubles (32), extra-base hits (57) and multi-hit games (42).
• Tonight’s starter Tanner Roark is one of three Nationals’ starters with 10 wins this season. The Nats are one of three teams with three 10-game winners.
• Nationals’ catcher Wilson Ramos started the night leading all MLB catchers in OBP (.381), SLG (.529), and RBIs (56).
• D-Backs’ starter (and one-time Nats’ prospect) Robbie Ray started the night with a streak of 20-straight starts in which he’s recorded 5+ Ks, tied with the Marlins’ Jose Fernandez for the longest such streak by a major league pitcher. Ray recorded his 5th Ks in the third inning tonight.

Nationals now 63-44