WASHINGTON (AP) — Dylan Crews led off the game for the Nationals with his first career homer and later hit an RBI double, and Washington beat the New York Yankees 5-2 on Wednesday night to take two of three from the AL’s top team.
Crews, the third-ranked prospect in baseball who debuted on Monday, lifted a high drive to the bullpen in left-center on Carlos Rodón’s second pitch. In the fourth inning, Crews hit a 105.8 mph liner for a double to put Washington ahead 5-1 as his parents celebrated in the stands.
“It was awesome. It was a great moment,” Crews said of the homer. “Luckily it went in the bullpen, so I got that one pretty good. I’m going to remember this one for a while.”
The Nationals kept Aaron Judge in the ballpark for a third straight night after the Yankees slugger went deep twice on Sunday to reach 51 homers, putting him on pace to threaten his own American League record of 62. Judge had not gone three games without a homer in more than two weeks. He hit a soft RBI single and walked twice.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit his career-best 22nd homer and ninth for the Yankees, lofting a 97 mph fastball down the middle from MacKenzie Gore over the wall in center in the second.
Juan Soto, who helped Washington win the 2019 World Series, went 0 for 12 in the series for New York, which leads the AL East by one game over Baltimore.
Gore (8-11) worked six solid innings, allowing two runs and six hits. Jose A. Ferrer and Jacob Barnes each pitched a scoreless inning and Kyle Finnegan got out of trouble in the ninth for his 34th save in 38 chances.
“We’ve added a bunch of sparkplugs into the lineup and it shows on the field,” Finnegan said. “Those new pieces are exciting and just give us momentum. This was one of our better crowds, better series of the year. So it was exciting to play in what feels like a playoff atmosphere.”
A Nationals lineup featuring six rookies frustrated Rodón (14-9) on a 98-degree night.
After Crews’ homer, Rodón allowed the next two runners to reach and then complained about a problem with the PitchCom system. He did not step off the rubber and was called for a balk, allowing James Wood to score from third. Rodón walked toward plate umpire Tony Randazzo in protest before manager Aaron Boone exited the dugout and got between them.
“I should have stepped off first and confronted about the PitchCom, and I gave up a stupid run there,” Rodón said. “That was pretty upsetting.”
His gray jersey soaked with sweat, Rodón showed little interest in holding runners, making deliberate pickoff throws but otherwise letting the Nationals — who lead the majors in stolen bases — run at will.
Washington stole four bases in the second inning alone and scored two runs on RBI singles by Nasim Nuñez and Wood, who finished with two hits and three of Washington’s five steals. Boone said the faulty PitchCom system was a factor.
“I think it affected a little bit in the running game, because we worked a lot of things through that,” Boone said. “We’ve got to be able to adjust there.”
The Nationals’ baserunning took a turn for the worse in the eighth, when José Tena hit a liner over Judge’s head in center for a single and Joey Gallo held up after lumbering around third, with Juan Yepez on his heels. Gallo was tagged out in a rundown while Yepez retreated to second, and Tena was caught between first and second for an 8-6-2-3-2-5-4 double play.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Yankees: RHP Clarke Schmidt (right lat) allowed one run and three hits in three innings for Triple-A Scranton/Willes-Barre with five strikeouts and one walk, throwing 41 of 58 pitches for strikes. He is likely to make one more rehab start. ... RHP Luis Gil (lower back strain) threw 65-70 pitches of live batting practice and his next step will probably be a rehab start.
Nationals: Placed RHP Joan Adon on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder biceps strain and recalled RHP Orlando Ribalta from Triple-A Rochester.
UP NEXT
Yankees: Host the Cardinals on Friday in the opener of a three-game series, with RHP Marcus Stroman (9-6, 3.88 ERA) set to oppose St. Louis RHP Erick Fedde (8-7, 3.31).
Nationals: Begin a three-game series against the visiting Cubs on Friday with RHP Jake Irvin (9-10, 3.80) on the mound against Chicago LHP Shota Imanaga (10-3, 3.08).
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