Overview
- Daylen Lile supplied the big blow with a three-run homer and finished 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs to spark the Nationals’ 5-3 victory Friday.
- Harry Ford followed with a two-run homer in the fourth that gave Washington the lead for good.
- Cade Cavalli delivered a quality start, working six-plus innings with eight strikeouts while allowing three runs on seven hits.
- Reliever Yovanny Cruz stranded a seventh-inning threat by striking out a batter and inducing a 6-3 double play, and Clayton Beeter closed with a perfect ninth for his 12th save.
- The win moved Washington to 57-61 and, with recent trades that sent Luis García Jr. and Curtis Mead away plus James Wood on the 10-day IL, highlighted how roster moves and injuries are creating opportunities for hitters and reshaping the bullpen.