Nationals’ offense explodes in blowout win over Red Sox

BOSTON — Maybe the Nationals knew the Dodgers overtook them as the highest-scoring team in the majors.

Maybe the Nationals wanted to end their six-game road trip with an emphatic win. Regardless, with Washington holding a seven-run lead, All-Star slugger James Wood hit a three-run homer that hit the top of the Green Monster in the Nationals’ resounding 10-2 win over the Red Sox on Wednesday.

You know the Nationals have a handle on a pitcher when shortstop Nasim Nuñez is hitting homers, as he did in the fourth inning. Nuñez was aggressive and got all of left-hander Payton Tolle’s four-seamer in the strike zone for his first homer of the season.

Nuñez hadn’t had a hit at Fenway Park, so sending one over the Green Monster was a fitting first. His solo shot snapped an 85-game homerless streak, but Nuñez was coming off a strong June that saw him slash .333/.400/.417.

“Everybody was fired up for him,” manager Blake Butera said. “He came in the dugout, and they gave him the silent treatment, and he was like, ‘I’ve hit a home run before.’”

A Drew Millas single followed by back-to-back walks by Wood and third baseman Curtis Mead loaded the bases with no outs to knock Tolle out of the game in the fourth inning. Right-hander Ryan Watson entered, so Butera answered by pinch hitting Luis García Jr.

The substitution paid off as García drilled a two-run single off the Green Monster to extend the Nationals’ lead to 5-0. Dylan Crews singled to load the bases before Daylen Lile grounded into a double play, scoring a run. Center fielder Jacob Young put the finishing touches on the five-run inning with an RBI double.

The Nationals are at their most dangerous when multiple players are contributing. Eight of the nine position players recorded a hit, and the offense was potent with shortstop CJ Abrams getting the day off.

“It lets everybody play with their hair down,” Nuñez said. “[Abrams and Wood] don’t have to put pressure on themselves to do it because, if they don’t get it done, they have faith that next person will. That’s gonna help people play a little bit more free and more fun, and we go win more.”

The Nationals (45-43) clinched back-to-back road series wins. They have touted their resiliency, and they’ve gotten their season back on track after it could’ve collapsed after three late-game debacles against Philly. With the trade deadline over a month away, now is the time for the team to create some separation in the wild-card race.

The offense providing ample run support on a steamy day at Fenway Park is an encouraging sign for the Nationals. They totaled 18 runs over the past two games against a Boston pitching staff that had allowed nine total runs in a sweep against the Yankees.

The Nationals were patient and made sound swing decisions, drawing 10 walks and striking out 10 times. Butera said that the team has the ability to win in different ways. They don’t just rely on slug or small ball. They thrive because their offense can shape-shift, depending on the game.

“Today being able to draw some walks, seeing a lot of pitches early on allowed us to get into their [bullpen] pretty early,” Butera said. “It also allowed us to get some advantage counts, and we took advantage of that when we were.”

First baseman Andrés Chaparro hit his first homer of the sesaon on a two-run shot in the first inning. It was a welcome sight for Chaparro, who had a .156 batting average entering Wednesday.

Chaparro has a strong walk rate, and Butera raved about the good at-bats Chaparro was having.

“He’s given us good at-bats against left-hand pitchers. That’s why he’s here,” Butera said. “He’s hit some balls hard, too, you know, right at people a lot of times, but the work he’s put in, he’s been ready to go when his name is called.”

Chaparro entered Wednesday with a 17.9% walk rate and a 46.9% hard-hit rate. The prolem is he hasn’t seen many balls find grass — he posted a .125 batting average in June.

“I know I don’t play a lot constantly, but all the work we do is for me to be prepared for whenever those moments come,” Chaparro said.

The pitching staff was also efficient against a Red Sox lineup that has few power options. Brad Lord pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks with one strikeout. He stranded two runners in the first inning and recorded a 1-2-3 second inning before running into trouble in the third. Lord allowed a single and a walk before recording a Ceddanne Rafaela flyout.

Left-hander Andrew Alvarez replaced Lord and induced an inning-ending double play.

With the bases loaded in the fifth, Alvarez struck out right fielder Wilyer Abreu to end a nine-pitch at-bat. Alvarez and Lord combined for seven shutout innings. Boston’s two eighth-inning runs came off right-hander Riley Cornelio.

After dropping the series opener, the Nationals put together two complete performances at Fenway Park.

“Great job of turning the page and moving on coming into today with the chance to win the series,” Butera said.