Luis García Jr. homers and CJ Abrams gets 3 hits to help Nationals beat Mariners 8-3

WASHINGTON (AP) — Luis García Jr. broke a fifth-inning tie with a two-run homer and the Washington Nationals defeated the Seattle Mariners 8-3 on Saturday.

CJ Abrams had three hits and two RBIs for Washington (36-35), which improved to 13-21 at Nationals Park after losing its previous four home games. Abrams also scored twice.

Colt Emerson homered for the second consecutive game for the AL West-leading Mariners, who are 4-5 on a 10-game trip to Detroit, Baltimore and Washington.

With the score tied at 3 in the fifth, James Wood hit a sharp single to third that was originally ruled an error. García then ripped Luis Castillo’s changeup 408 feet to right-center for his ninth homer this season.

Abrams helped expand the lead in the seventh with an RBI single before scoring when reliever Eduard Bazardo’s pickoff attempt trickled off runner Dylan Crews into foul territory. Washington made it 8-3 when Crews scored from first on José Tena’s single to center.

Nationals starter Cade Cavalli (4-4) allowed three runs and struck out five in five innings.

Washington scored three unearned runs in the first against Castillo (2-6). García reached on first baseman Josh Naylor’s error, then scored on Abrams’ two-out single. Daylen Lile followed with a triple to right before coming home on Crews’ single.

Castillo yielded five runs in 5 2/3 innings while striking out four.

Seattle tied it with a two-out rally in the fifth. Mitch Garver hit an RBI single, and Emerson drilled Cavalli’s fastball down the right-field line for his sixth homer.

Washington RHP Miles Mikolas (1-5, 5.90 ERA) and Seattle RHP Emerson Hancock (5-2, 2.74) are scheduled to start Sunday in the finale of the three-game series.

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