Nats score early, often to take series opener vs. Reds (updated)

OK, so maybe this victory wasn’t as smooth and convincing as it appeared it might be when the home team busted out with seven early runs against the Reds tonight.

The Nationals, though, haven’t won nearly enough games this summer to get picky about how they win. Any win is a good win right now, and tonight’s 10-8 slugfest on South Capitol Street should be considered as beautiful as any crisply played ballgame.

Thanks to an early seven-run explosion keyed by the resurgent James Wood and Josh Bell, then some much-needed tack-on offense in the middle innings and a surprisingly effective bullpen performance after Jake Irvin endured through his shortest start in two seasons, the Nationals won a series opener for the first time since June 26 in Anaheim, long before Miguel Cairo replaced Davey Martinez as manager.

"You see when it's coming," Cairo said. "Those were good at-bats today. We didn't score and just stop. We kept going, and we put good at-bats together. It was beautiful to get 10 runs today."

This game, of course, still included a harrowing top of the ninth from Kyle Finnegan, the slumping closer who allowed three of the first four batters he faced to reach, two of them scoring, before finishing it off with the tying run standing at the plate.

But ultimately, early offense made a big difference once again. The Nats improved to 20-9 this season when they score in the first inning. They’re 20-51 when they don’t.

The way this game started, it was appropriate to wonder if it might turn into a cakewalk for a Nationals club that hasn’t enjoyed many of those in recent weeks. With a quick offensive explosion against Brady Singer, they broke out to a 4-0 lead only six batters in, getting doubles by Wood and Bell and a bases-loaded triple by Daylen Lile.

"We were just finding different ways to get on," said Wood, who appears to have snapped out of his recent slump with two doubles and two walks tonight. "We were hitting it hard. We were fighting with two strikes. I just think we got the big hit. That was the biggest difference. Daylen started it off early, and I feel like that's what we've been missing the past week or so."

Then they turned 4-0 into 7-0 with three more runs in the third, thanks to Bell’s towering homer into the second deck in right field and back-to-back two-out RBI hits from Riley Adams and Jacob Young. That Bell homer, by the way, officially brought his OPS up to .700 for the first time since April 11, and actually catapulted him ahead of teammate Nathaniel Lowe for the moment.

"I feel good," the veteran DH said. "I was hoping for more longballs. I wanted to cut down on my strikeout rate, which I feel like I've done. Line-drive percentage has been through the roof for me. But I haven't been able to have the longball, so it definitely felt good for me today."

The only problem: 7-0 turned into 7-5 in the blink of an eye. Irvin navigated his way through the evening’s first three innings with relative ease, needing only 39 pitches to record nine outs. But the top of the fourth turned into a progressively worsening nightmare, jumpstarted by back-to-back walks and exacerbated by four straight RBI singles, with some less-than-clean defense sprinkled in for good measure.

By the time he issued his third walk of the inning, his pitch count up to 72, Irvin watched as Cairo made his way to the mound, signaling to the bullpen along the way. He handed the ball over to his interim manager without saying a word, then made his way back to the dugout having failed to complete four innings for the first time since the final start of his rookie season in 2023.

"It's brutal," Irvin said. "Especially with the way our bullpen's been used the last couple days, you want to get as deep as you can."

Indeed, as a previously lopsided game turned into a closer-than-anticipated game, the Nationals were forced to turn to their bullpen early for the second straight day. MacKenzie Gore went only 2 1/3 innings Sunday against the Padres, and Brad Lord isn’t likely to be able to give them more than four innings Tuesday in his return to the rotation. (The club might have to consider bringing in a fresh arm from Triple-A Rochester to make sure all nine innings are covered.)

"I just worry about today," Cairo said with a smile. "Tomorrow, they bring their own worries. I want to enjoy this one today."

The Nats’ best strategy tonight? Keep scoring more runs to take some pressure off that taxed bullpen. Which they did.

They added a run in the fourth after Wood opened the rally with a 115.9-mph laser of a double to right, his third hit in five at-bats since snapping out of an 0-for-20 slump. Then they added two more in the sixth, thanks to Amed Rosario’s RBI double off righty reliever Graham Ashcraft (summoned by Reds manager Terry Francona specifically to create a better matchup against Rosario) and Jacob Young’s two-out RBI single through the right side of the infield.

Just like that, the lead was back to four runs, providing the bullpen some cushion.

"It was just great getting six at-bats," Wood said. "That means everybody is putting up numbers. It was just great to see."

Not that the relief corps necessarily needed it. Though Mason Thompson and Cole Henry labored to record a combined four outs in the fourth and fifth innings, veterans Andrew Chafin and Luis Garcia combined to retire all six batters they faced on a mere 19 pitches. Jose A. Ferrer tossed a scoreless eighth before handing it over to Finnegan, who may have created some drama but ultimately closed out a much appreciated win, style points or not.