MINNEAPOLIS — The Washington Nationals have had plenty of chances with runners in scoring position this season. But in those situations they have put together short at-bats, chased at pitches and left many of the runners stranded.
“They were trying to stay on the ball and put the ball in play,” Manager Dave Martinez said about the at-bats. “Both came up with big hits. Even CJ Abrams with a big hit there, stretched it out to a double, which was awesome. We played well, proud of the guys. They didn’t give up.”
Neither did the Twins, who put two runners on base to open the ninth, but Kyle Finnegan escaped by inducing a game-ending 5-4-3 double play.
Before the game, the Nationals warmed up in snow flurries. It was 37 degrees by first pitch, making it the coldest game in Nationals history. Balls weren’t expected to fly in the cold, but Joey Gallo, signed by the Twins during the offseason to provide power to the middle of their order, hit a solo shot to give them a 1-0 lead in the third.
Then the Twins did what Washington has struggled to do in the first few weeks of the season: They took advantage of an opponent’s mistake.
Later in the third, Ryan Jeffers hit a line drive into the right-center field gap that Thomas or Victor Robles could have caught. But both stopped running, thinking the other would get to the ball, and it dropped in for a double. Former National Michael A. Taylor bunted Jeffers over to third. Then Max Kepler showed patience in a seven-pitch at-bat, waiting for a pitch from Trevor Williams in the zone that he popped up to right field for a sacrifice fly.
That was just about it for the Twins’ offense, which finished with just six hits. Williams, whom the Nationals signed to a two-year, $13 million contract in the offseason, was mostly able to keep them off the base paths. The former New York Met allowed two runs on four hits in six innings — his fourth straight start lasting at least five innings.
The Nationals’ starting pitching was a bright spot for the third straight game and kept them in it. But given the team’s recent offensive struggles — coming off consecutive shutouts against the Baltimore Orioles — the Twins’ early two-run lead felt almost insurmountable.
The Nationals’ scoreless streak reached 24 innings before Joey Meneses belted a solo home run in the seventh. It was the first homer this season for Meneses, who was expected to hit for more power in the middle of the order.
“As much as you don’t want to think about something like that, it definitely crosses your mind,” Meneses said. “I try to stay focused and just make sure I made hard contact. That’s all I can do. But I’m not going to say I wasn’t thinking about it, because you definitely think about getting your first home run.”
The Nationals had only two hits until Abrams hit a 49.9-mph double that got through the infield because of a shift. Thomas stepped to the plate with the team’s first opportunity to hit with a runner in scoring position. He laid off a pair of sweepers in the dirt from Griffin Jax, worked a 3-1 count and poked a single between the shortstop and third baseman to tie the score.
Then stepped up Ruiz, who was moved up in the lineup because of his improved at-bats, during which he has slowed down his lower half and gotten his hands through the baseball. Martinez wanted him to keep that approach, and he did.
Ruiz took a 1-1 fastball down the middle and hit it to left field for the go-ahead run. For an offense that seemed to be pressing in those situations, Ruiz’s single was a step in the right direction.
“Yeah, it gives us confidence,” Ruiz said. “We just got to keep doing that. I feel like we’ve been playing good, like close games. A lot of close games. We just got to … don’t give up and keep working hard.”
Injury updates
Martinez said outfielder Corey Dickerson (left calf strain) is taking batting practice but still needs to do agility drills and run before the team sends him on a rehab assignment.
Infielder Ildemaro Vargas (left shoulder strain) is hitting off a tee and taking groundballs. The hope is that the Nationals can send him, like Dickerson, on a quick rehab assignment before he returns to the team.
Infielder Carter Kieboom (right shoulder impingement) played five innings in an extended spring training game this week at third base. The next step is to have Kieboom repeat his routine so he can play back-to-back games and eventually play every day.
Catcher Israel Pineda (right finger fracture) is scheduled to have an X-ray next week before determining his next steps.