Nationals vs Guardians Recap: Tight 3-2 Finish

The Nationals rolled into Cleveland looking to bounce back. They'd lost 3-0 the night before but came ready to fight. In the third inning, CJ Abrams stepped up to face Gavin Williams' fastball. Williams fired a 97-mile-per-hour heater right down the pipe. Abrams connected hard and drove it to right field for a double. James Wood, the Nationals' young superstar, sprinted home from first. The crowd groaned as Washington took the early 1-0 lead. You could feel the momentum shift. This was a new game, a fresh chance for the visiting team to make noise in the Guardians' house.

The Nationals held the lead through four innings, but the Guardians wouldn't stay quiet. In the bottom of the fifth, Jose Ramirez stepped to the plate with a runner on base. Miles Mikolas threw an 88-mile-per-hour slider. Ramirez put the ball in play and lifted a sacrifice fly to center field. Austin Hedges raced home to tie the game at 1-1. But Cleveland kept swinging. Chase DeLauter smashed a single to left. Travis Bazzana raced across home plate. Then Angel Martinez slapped another single up the middle. DeLauter sprinted home. The Guardians had exploded for three runs in one wild inning. Just like that, Cleveland led 3-1 and the Nationals' early advantage was gone forever.

The Nationals refused to quit. In the ninth inning, they had one last chance. Daylen Lile stepped to the plate against closer Cade Smith. Smith unleashed a 97-mile-per-hour fastball. Lile made solid contact and sent a fly ball to left field. Curtis Mead raced around the bases and scored. That made it 3-2. But that was all the Nationals could muster. Smith struck out the next batter to seal the win. The Guardians held on for a 3-2 victory and improved to 33-25. Washington fell to 29-28. The Nationals had fought hard in this contest, but Cleveland's pitching depth proved the difference. Both teams had shown heart in a close, tight game.