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What Nationals’ Andres Chaparro said about massive 8 RBI game in drubbing vs. Athletics
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The Washington Nationals opened the unofficial second half of the season with a resounding 23-4 win over the Athletics on Friday at Sutter Health Park, ending a three-game losing streak and returning to the .500 mark at 49-49. After being swept by the New York Yankees before the All-Star break, Washington responded with one of the biggest offensive performances in franchise history.
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The Nationals collected a season-high 21 hits, hit four home runs and finished 13-for-17 with runners in scoring position. The team's 23 runs matched the second-highest total in franchise history, equaling the mark set against the New York Mets on April 30, 2017, and finishing two runs behind the franchise-record 25 scored versus the Mets on July 31, 2018.
Washington infielder Andres Chaparro had the best game of his major league career, going 4-for-5 with two home runs, one walk and a career-high eight RBIs. Entering the game with just seven RBIs and a .167 batting average (9-for-54) with a .585 OPS, the first baseman nearly added 200 points to his OPS, raising it to .776. His eight RBIs were the most by a Nationals player since 2018 and rank behind only Anthony Rendon and Mark Reynolds, who each drove in 10 runs in a game.
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Chaparro's first home run, a two-run blast off left-hander Jose Suarez in the fifth inning, traveled 467 feet, making it the fourth-longest home run hit by a Washington player during the Statcast era (since 2015). Chaparro later added a three-run homer off Yunior Tur in the seventh after also collecting RBI singles in the third and sixth innings.
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"After the All-Star break, everybody wanted to come back and show that we're here to compete," he said through interpreter Mauricio Ortiz.
Curtis Mead also starred by finishing 4-for-6 with four runs scored, three RBIs and three doubles. His two-run double in the third started the scoring before Chaparro followed with an RBI single. Mead later reached base ahead of Chaparro's fifth-inning homer and added another RBI double before Chaparro's second homer. Daylen Lile hit a three-run homer in the ninth, Harry Ford connected for his first major league home run, James Wood drove in two with a single, and Dylan Crews added an RBI double as every Nationals batter recorded at least one hit.
On the mound, Cade Cavalli earned his sixth win after allowing only two runs over six innings while striking out nine without issuing a walk. Riley Cornelio followed with two scoreless innings before Jorbit Vivas closed the game.
The Athletics dropped their 10th straight game and have lost 14 of their last 15. Rookie Tommy White doubled in his major league debut, while Tyler Soderstrom and Shea Langeliers homered in the loss. Rookie starter Gage Jump allowed four runs, three earned, in 3 2/3 innings, and five Athletics relievers surrendered 19 runs over the final 5 1/3 innings, including six runs charged to Yunior Tur in his major league debut.
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The series continues Saturday with Zack Littell scheduled to start for the Nationals (7-6, 4.90 ERA) against Athletics right-hander JT Ginn (7-6, 3.67 ERA).
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