The Nationals have played their fair share of back-and-forth games this week. They saw six lead changes over their last four games, some of which included late-inning dramatics and extra frames.

And so here they were again having to battle through another one in their second matchup against the Angels. But although they saw an early lead change swing in their favor, they couldn’t keep the score of this one from flip-flopping. In the end, the Nats were able to come back for a 5-4 walk-off win in 10 innings in front of 22,183 fans at Nationals Park thanks to a new face.

After Derek Law kept it a 4-4 game with a scoreless top of the ninth while closer Kyle Finnegan was unavailable due to an increased workload over the past two games, the heart of the Nats order couldn’t provide a walk-off hit just yet.

So to extras we went yet again, the Nats’ third straight extra-inning game. Law returned to the mound and pitched a perfect 10th, stranding the automatic runner at third.

Because CJ Abrams was out of the starting lineup with a stiff upper back, he was available to pinch-run for Keibert Ruiz as the automatic runner. José Tena, an infield prospect from the Lane Thomas trade with the Guardians who was recalled from Triple-A Rochester before the game, stepped up as the first batter in the bottom of the 10th.

For eight innings of yesterday’s finale, it looked like the Nationals offense had run out of juice to mount another comeback.

But that’s why baseball plays nine innings.

After Lane Thomas’ one-out single in the third inning, the Nats sent the minimum to the plate over the next 5 ⅔ innings. The only baserunner over that stretch was Jeimer Candelario, who was hit by a pitch from Peter Lambert in the sixth and then out on a double play ball by Joey Meneses.

The Nats only had five baserunners after eight innings on three hits, a walk and the hit batter.

“The chasing,” manager Davey Martinez lamented after the game on the Nats’ lack of offense. “We gave away too many at-bats because we were chasing all day today. We play a game like we did last night, come back and play at 12 o'clock. I tell these guys that’s part of growing up right now is that you got to grind today. Today's a grind day for some of our young players and veteran guys. It's not gonna be easy. I know it's hot. But you gotta grind.”