ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Jeimer Candelario and CJ Abrams drove in two runs apiece, and the Washington Nationals pounded out 14 hits in a 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night.
Every batter in the Nationals’ starting lineup got a hit, including five two-hit performances. Candelario tied it with a two-run single in the fourth, and Abrams’ grounder in the fifth brought home the go-ahead run.
“I feel like that’s how we can build a winning culture, and something that’s going to be our team identity,” said Dominic Smith, who scored Washington’s final run with a heads-up baserunning play. “For the most part, we’re going to have to manufacture runs, and this is how we’re going to have to do it: Playing hard, playing smart, taking the extra base, playing smart, clean baseball. It’s fun to do. It takes the life out of the other team, so it was definitely a fun night tonight.”
Nationals manager Davey Martinez felt ill before the game and wasn’t in the dugout during the game, although he was at the stadium. Martinez received intravenous fluids, according to bench coach Tim Bogar, who managed the team to its third win in four games.
Hunter Renfroe homered in his third straight game and Luis Rengifo had an early two-run double for the Angels, who got poor pitching and defense while losing back-to-back games for the first time this season. Gio Urshela had a run-scoring double, while Shohei Ohtani went 0 for 3 with a walk to reach base in his 33rd consecutive game.
“Trends like this don’t continue, (because) that’s two days of us hitting a lot of balls hard and not giving up a lot of hard contact,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said. “But we had some things defensively that we didn’t do right, that cost us a couple of runs, and that’s the difference in the game.”
Patrick Corbin (1-2) pitched five innings of seven-hit ball for Washington, yielding four runs. Kyle Finnegan pitched the ninth for his second save, completing six consecutive hitless innings thrown by five Nats pitchers.
Corbin was far from dominant, but his teammates battered Los Angeles’ José Suarez and Tucker Davidson (0-1).
“That’s Nats offense right there,” Bogar said. “We paper-cut you to death a little bit.”
Suarez yielded 10 hits and four runs over four innings in his second straight rough start for the Angels, who were hoping the Venezuelan left-hander could solidify a spot in the rotation after inconsistency last season. Instead, Suarez has given up 18 hits and 10 earned runs in 8 1/3 combined innings to start the new year.
“We trust him,” Suarez said. “He’s done a great job for us. He pitched well for us last year, and he’ll find it. It’s been two starts.”
Mike Trout broke Garret Anderson’s franchise record by scoring his 523rd run at Angel Stadium on Rengifo’s bases-loaded double in the first. Trout has reached base in every game this season, as have Ohtani and Taylor Ward.
Renfroe then delivered his third homer and eighth RBI in three days, but Washington erased a three-run deficit in the fourth in a rally that started with Michael Chavis receiving a leadoff walk on a pitch timer violation by Suarez. Rengifo also made a throwing error before Candelario’s two-out single.
Smith alertly went from second to home in the seventh while the Angels failed to turn an inning-ending double play on Victor Robles’ grounder.
“I feel like it’s a momentum-changing play and something that fires the boys up,” Smith said. “It’s super exciting. For me not to be a speed guy and to do something like that, I shocked everybody on the team.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Nationals: Luis García missed his third straight game, apparently with hamstring tightness. … Martinez has a non-COVID-19 illness, the team said.
Angels: Anthony Rendon was a late pregame scratch with shoulder soreness after getting hit by a pitch Sunday. Rendon couldn’t swing a bat well, but was available for defense, Nevin said.
UP NEXT
Ohtani (1-0, 0.75 ERA) pitches against the Nationals for the first time in his career, making his first home mound start of the season after two excellent road outings. Washington sends out Josiah Gray (0-2, 4.91), the former Dodgers prospect.
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