BASEBALL: CJ Abrams, Nationals slam Twins

WASHINGTON – CJ Abrams had a huge night at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a grand slam and five RBIs, leading the Washington Nationals to a 15-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday.

Brady House, Drew Millas, and Jose Tena each contributed two hits, including a home run, as the Nationals collected a total of 14 hits. James Wood and Jacob Young also added two hits apiece.

Miles Mikolas, who signed with Washington as a free agent this offseason, earned his first win with the team. Mikolas (1-3) pitched a season-high 5 1/3 innings, allowing just two runs on three hits while retiring 16 of the 19 batters he faced. He entered the game with an 8.23 ERA.

Three Washington pitchers combined to hold the Twins to only three hits. Matt Wallner had two hits, including a home run, for Minnesota, which had won its previous two games. Bailey Ober (3-2), the Twins’ starter, went five-plus innings, giving up five runs on six hits.

Minnesota took an early 1-0 lead in the third inning when Luke Keaschall doubled and scored on Wallner’s single. Washington did not reach base against Ober until the fourth, when Wood singled and later scored on Abrams’ double after a steal.

Wallner homered off Mikolas in the fifth to briefly give the Twins a 2-1 lead. Washington quickly responded as Young singled and Millas hit a home run to center, putting the Nationals ahead 3-2.

The sixth inning saw Washington extend its lead with back-to-back doubles by Abrams and House, followed by Tena’s double off reliever Andrew Morris. Nasim Nunez capped the scoring with a triple, giving Washington a 6-2 advantage.

In the seventh, House homered to center, making it 8-2. The Nationals added seven more runs in the eighth, highlighted by Abrams’ second career grand slam and a Tena home run, completing the 15-2 rout.

—Field Level Media/Reuters