WASHINGTON (AP) — Andrés Chaparro drove in three runs and the Washington Nationals snapped Cincinnati ace Chase Burns’ 12-game winning streak, beating the Reds 8-2 on Saturday night.
Rookie Abimelec Ortiz drove in two for Washington. The Nationals have won three of four after dropping a season-worst seven in a row.
Eugenio Suárez homered for Cincinnati as the Reds dropped consecutive games for the first time since July 11-12.
Washington took a 3-2 lead when Dylan Crews opened the sixth with a double and scored on Daylen Lile’s double. Burns (13-2) then loaded the bases before yielding to Sam Moll, who was greeted by Chaparro’s pinch double. Chaparro advanced on a wild pitch and scored when Jacob Young singled.
Burns, who built the fifth-longest winning streak in club history, lost for the first time since April 10. He allowed five runs in 5 1/3 innings while striking out six.
Chaparro and CJ Abrams added RBI singles in the eighth.
Clayton Beeter (5-3) worked a scoreless eighth for Washington.
José Tena led off the third with a single to center, then moved up two batters later when Abrams slapped a first-pitch slider down the right-field line for a double. Both scored when Ortiz poked Burns’ 0-2 fastball the opposite way to left.
Nationals starter Andrew Alvarez surrendered a run on three hits and a walk in 5 1/3 innings, and was pulled after Sal Stewart’s infield single dribbled off third base. Max Kranick relieved him, and two batters later Suárez ripped a fastball into the visitor’s bullpen in left.
Alvarez has not allowed a home run in his last 51 1/3 innings, the franchise’s seventh-longest streak since moving to Washington in 2005.
Up next
Cincinnati RHP Brady Singer (5-10, 4.67 ERA) was set to start Sunday in the series finale. RHP Brad Lord (5-2, 3.81) was scheduled open a bullpen game for Washington.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Patrick Stevens, The Associated Press
