PHOENIX — Nationals first baseman Luis García Jr. turned to his dugout and shouted an obscenity before he had even touched first base after hitting his first career grand slam in the team’s 14-1 win over the Diamondbacks on Friday night.
García brings energy to the club. He lightens the mood more often than not, but his grand slam showed he’s a killer. It blew the game wide open for the Nationals, securing a blowout win after a quiet week for the offense. García hit two of the Nationals’ five homers. They had 16 hits as they sucked the life out of Chase Field.
“Against the Marlins, we didn’t have the results that we wanted,” García said through a team interpreter. “But, with the off day, we cleared our minds and came in today confident.”
It was that type of game for the Nationals, substantiating the team’s lack of worry after a mini slump. The lineup had confidence that it was just an aberration, a blip on what’s been the league’s best offense this season.
The Nationals’ run total Friday night was more than they scored across the entire three-game series against the Marlins this week.
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They made quick work of Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly, scoring two runs in the first on García’s sixth homer of the season, but the avalanche came in the third.
All-Star slugger James Wood tagged Kelly for a solo homer, Daylen Lile recorded an RBI single and Jorbit Vivas drove in two runs on his double to give the Nationals a 6-0 lead. The Diamondbacks scored a run in the fourth on Aramis Garcia’s solo homer.
But it was García’s big night that led the charge. He went 2-for-6 with a career-high six RBIs.
“Everybody was fired up for him,” manager Blake Butera said. “He’s been putting in a ton of work. Happy to see the success he had tonight.”
The Nationals were leading 7-1 in the sixth when García’s grand slam extended the lead to 10. CJ Abrams added a solo homer to complete the five-run inning.
Pairing an explosive offense with a pristine showing from Foster Griffin — five innings, allowing one run on two hits with four strikeouts and no walks — is a recipe the Nationals have followed for success many times this season.
Griffin was intentional about getting ahead in the count; 11 of his 17 first-pitch throws were strikes. Butera said, when Griffin gets ahead, “he can do whatever he wants” because of how many pitches he can command.
It also helps when the offense is just pouring in runs, allowing Griffin to be even more Griffin, knowing he has leeway.
“We’re the first-inning Nats, right” Griffin said. “I feel like a lot of these outings I’ve taken the field, especially on the road, have been with already a two-, three-plus-run cushion.”
Griffin left the game after throwing 62 pitches. He said he felt some lat tightness, but that it wasn’t serious and that the removal was precautionary.
The Nationals are missing right-hander Jake Irvin, who’s looking like he’s going to have an extended stay on the injured list. But, because the offense put the game out of reach, the team was able to lessen Griffin’s workload.
The team remained levelheaded after the Marlins series. Its confidence wasn’t going to be dampened by one stumble. The Nationals have shown repeatedly that their offensive output is sustainable.
Independent of the result, the Nationals’ at-bats looked better. The swing decisions were sound, and they were prepared for the Diamondbacks’ pitching staff. The Nationals had innings in which they put together base hits that led to those multi-run homers that are deflating for the opposing team.
García showing his power stroke with a multi-home run game was also an encouraging sign. The team has worked with him to increase his bat speed. Friday’s game was a step in the right direction.
“We know García has really good bat-to-ball skills, but we want him to be able to take some shots and swing at pitches where he can get one of his best swings off,” Butera said.
This article has been updated.
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