The Washington Nationals have strung together two consecutive wins to climb one game above .500 after taking game one against the Colorado Rockies, 7-3, on Monday night.
Curtis Mead and Jacob Young both notched three hits each in the win, while Andrew Alvarez lasted just 4.1 innings after allowing three earned runs and six hits over 74 pitches. Yet Monday night was about the bullpen more than the starter, and for the first time in weeks, it was for a good reason.
Riley Cornelio was credited for the win after teaming up with Matt Krook and Tom Cosgrove to allow just two walks and no hits over the final 4.2 innings.
The Nationals would get it started in the top of the first inning after James Wood drew a five-pitch leadoff walk before Curtis Mead singled into center. That set up Andrew Chaparro for the game's first scoring opportunity, one he took full advantage of after taking the first pitch 427 feet to left center to give Washington an early 3-0 lead.
Alvarez would escape his first bases loaded jam after a fly out ended the first inning, but his fortune would come up short in the third inning after giving up a two-out double into center that tied the game at three. The good news was it marked the last runs for Colorado.
Jacob Young broke the deadlock with a 437 foot solo home run to left field off the first pitch of the sixth inning, a run that put the Nationals ahead for good, before CJ Abrams notched his 21st home run the next inning after a 420 foot shot brought in Daylen Lile to push Washington's lead to 6-3.
Eight pitches was all it took for Matt Krook to escape the seventh inning before Tom Cosgrove got out of the eighth on eight pitches.
After Nasim Nunez opened the ninth with a leadoff single, Daylen Lile added another insurance run after a triple -- his first since June 9 against the San Francisco Giants -- pushed it to 7-3. That set up Cosgrove for the save opportunity in the ninth, which he once again escaped with no problem after six pitches cemented the series opening win.
Washington will now look for its first three-game win streak since June 30 - July 3 with first pitch set for 8:40 PM ET on Tuesday and Miles Mikolas set to take the mound.
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