“Today was basically a battle of hitters,” Davey Martinez said after his club’s 11-8 win. toronto blue jays in the final game of the series in the nation’s capital. “I’m glad I ended up coming out on top.”
Leading 6-1 after two and a half innings, starter Mackenzie Gore pitched just three innings, allowing six hits, two walks, giving up six runs and two earned runs, but committed a pathetic error in the top of the second inning. . They scored one point, then the Jays added four on a grand slam from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but the Nationals found themselves in another long hole early on.
But Martinez’s club have come from behind 12 times this season, and five of their last seven have come from behind, so they should be used to this by now.
“As I said before, they never feel like the game is over,” Martinez told reporters during Sunday’s postgame press conference. “They’re not. Today is another example.”
Luis Garcia Jr. contributed to the victory by going 4-for-4 with a solo home run, two runs scored, four RBIs, one stolen base, and two runs scored. Jesse Winker hit his fourth home run of the year, giving the Nationals a 7-6 advantage in the fourth inning. The Jays came back in the fifth, tying the score at 8-7 and taking the lead, before Garcia added the lead. I hit a point. It was an 8-8 run, and in what might have been the biggest development, Eddie Rosario hit his second home run of the game, 402 feet to right-center field, his second of the year. It was a cathartic blow. For veterans who are in a slump.
It was Rosario’s first home run since the start of the season, his first multi-hit game of the year, and his third hit in his past 13 games. So, yeah, it was big. And he showed it with his eye for his bat, throwing it aside as the dugout went wild for his 32-year-old teammates, who averaged .118 on the season.
“You know, I needed it,” Rosario said after the win through interpreter Octavio Martinez. “As you can see from my previous starts, I’m one of those guys who looks forward to big moments, and I’ve had some big moments in my career with big home runs.
“But I needed that when we started. It definitely boosts my confidence to know I can still be that player.”
It was a big moment of the game and a big moment for the outfielders.
“When he crossed home plate, we kind of saw it,” Martinez said of Rosario’s reaction. “I hope that cheers him up because it was like a sigh of relief. But like I said, I don’t want this guy to make a home run like that in a big moment.” I’ve seen him hit many times. He’s a big bat for us. We signed him because we felt he could turn the ball over and lead the way against right-handed pitchers. That was great today. The swing before that, the ball going up the middle…I thought that was the key for me, so if I can keep doing that, the rest will come.”
Photo by Mitchell Leighton/Getty Images
Rosario’s outburst gave the club a 10-8 lead, and in the home half of the eighth inning, Joey Meneses hit a sac fly to make it 11-8.
“They fought back, we hit some big hits, and we ended up winning, they tied the game, and then Eddie hit a big home run there. But as I said before, Like, they’re relentless. They keep coming, they keep coming,” Martinez said.
