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SAN FRANCISCO – James Wood set the tone with a desperately needed leadoff homer. Paul DeJong and Josh Bell added on with a pair of homers themselves to extend the lead. Brad Lord and the new-look back end of the bullpen then took care of the rest, pitching the Nationals to their first truly conventional win since the trade deadline.
Behind three early solo homers, headlined by Wood’s first blast in a month, the Nats toppled the Giants 4-2 this afternoon, getting another strong start by Lord and a gutsy, five-out save from new closer Jose A. Ferrer.
The Nationals’ only other win since the July 31 deadline was a 2-1 walk-off victory over the Athletics. This one came via a more normal path, with early offense and a quality start putting them in position entering the late innings. But it still required nine outs from a completely remade bullpen, and we finally saw today what exactly that now looks like.
It included left-hander Konnor Pilkington retiring the side in the bottom of the seventh. It included Cole Henry getting the bottom of the eighth but getting pulled after loading the bases with one out. And so it concluded with Jose A. Ferrer recording a five-out save, escaping the eighth-inning jam with only one inherited runner crossing the plate before escaping a two-on jam in the ninth thanks to a game-ending double play off the bat of Patrick Bailey.
"I'm really excited about this opportunity," Ferrer, who earned his first save since assuming the closer's job following Kyle Finnegan's trade to Detroit, said via interpreter Mauricio Ortiz. "I just want to thank them for putting me in this position, to be closer of the team. It's a huge responsibility, because you come in to close the game. Your teammates played really hard the whole game. You just want to come out, get those three outs and take the win."
It was a well-played game. It came down to some key moments late. And the Nationals, for a change, emerged on top.
"These guys have been fighting, and they're resilient," interim manager Miguel Cairo said. "I know it's been tough lately, but today they came together and had good at-bats. We pitched good. We played good defense. We did the little things to win a ball game. It was a good team win."
There’s been plenty missing from Wood’s swing over the last month, but perhaps most lacking has been the opposite-field power that had been his hallmark since debuting last summer. For a full year, big league pitchers hadn’t been able to get away with fastballs up and away to the big slugger, knowing he was likely to keep his hip and shoulder closed and drive it to left-center with authority.
Consider Wood’s first swing of the game today, then, a dramatic return to normalcy. Giants left-hander Carson Whisenhunt tried to sneak a 94 mph heater by him, and the 22-year-old reminded him why that’s still a mistake. Wood drilled the ball on a line to left-center, the ball clearing the fence and giving him a chance to circle the bases for the first time in exactly one month.
"I feel l like I've been seeing the ball good," Wood said. "I'm still chasing a little bit more than I would like, but i think that will come, too. I've just got to continue to take good at-bats and swing at the right stuff."
Wood’s leadoff blast was exactly what the doctor ordered, not only for him but for the Nationals as a whole, who have spent the better part of weeks playing from behind. Finally, they had themselves an early lead. And they proceeded to extend it with two more big bops.
Paul DeJong, getting the start at second base in place of the banged-up Luis García Jr. and batting third against the lefty starter, drove a pitch to left-center in the top of the third and circled the bases. Moments later, Josh Bell did the same, the switch-hitter connecting for only his second right-handed homer of the season.
The Nats squandered some opportunities to add on against Whisenhunt, but with three solo homers, they provided some cushion for their starter, who took full advantage of it.
"Pitching with the lead is always easier," Lord said. "Seeing a swing like that (from Wood) in the first inning, it's like: 'We're here. We're doing this today.' It's such a good feeling."
In this, his fourth start since rejoining the rotation, Lord looked very much at home. His arm fully built up after a 92-pitch outing last time on the mound, he was free to go after hitters today without needing to look over his shoulder toward the bullpen, confident nobody would be warming until much later in the afternoon.
Pumping strikes, Lord made quick work of the Giants, retiring the first eight batters on 29 total pitches. A broken-bat single by No. 9 hitter Andrew Knizner would disrupt things, and Lord would proceed to load the bases with two outs and Willy Adames at the plate. With the crowd urging the No. 3 hitter on, Lord proceeded to get him swinging at a beautifully executed changeup, pulling the string to escape the jam.
"I feel like getting out of that jam, taking it one pitch at a time, really trusting my stuff and trusting my defense behind me," he said, "once you get through a situation like that, it kind of feels easier after that."
He also pitched around a leadoff double in the fourth, never letting Dominic Smith advance beyond second base. And though he lost a sixth-inning battle with Rafael Devers, who launched a 3-2 fastball at the knees to center for a solo homer, Lord retired the next three batters he faced, striking out both Smith and Matt Chapman to end his afternoon on a high note.
With 85 total innings of work now in the big leagues between both the Nationals' rotation and bullpen, Lord owns an impressive 3.28 ERA. He’s a full-fledged member of the team’s rotation at this point, earning the praise and trust of his teammates and coaching staff as a legitimate bright spot in an otherwise dark season.
"You want 26 guys like that on your team," Cairo said. "He’s a hard worker. He knows how to pitch. He knows how to attack the strike zone. He believes in the stuff that he has."
