CJ Abrams comes through in the clutch as Nationals show a lot of fight in 9th-inning comeback to beat Giants

SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants must have still been weary from their late-night win against the Cubs in Chicago on “Sunday Night Baseball.”

In the top of the ninth of Monday’s game, the Nationals had runners on first and second base with CJ Abrams at the plate when a passed ball by catcher Eric Haase allowed each runner to advance. Abrams is one of the best hitters in the league this season, particularly with runners in scoring position. With the Giants holding a two-run lead and a free base, the logical move would have been to walk the Nationals shortstop.

But instead they challenged him, and they found out how dangerous Abrams can be. He drove reliever Keaton Winn’s splitter for a two-run single that tied the game. After being dormant for much of Monday’s game, the Nationals’ offense was suddenly alive and a hush fell over the fans at Oracle Park.

Center fielder Dylan Crews struck out, but Abrams stole second base during the at-bat to give the Nationals a runner in scoring position when Daylen Lile came to the plate. Lile proved his clutch bona fides by delivering an RBI single that gave the Nationals a one-run lead. The offense had delivered with their backs against the wall and the Nationals won the series-opener 4-3.

“I’m trying to come through for the team,” Abrams said. “It’s fun.”

Abrams probably has the best temperament for those high-pressure moments with his laid-back demeanor. When many would have their heart rates spike, his remains the same. He treats a clutch ninth-inning at-bat as calmly as one in the first.

On the season, Abrams is slashing .381/.447/.667 with runners in scoring position. He became the player in club history to record 50 or more RBIs and 10-plus stolen bases through the first 66 games of a season since Vladimir Guerrero in 2002, when the team was still the Montreal Expos.

“We love when he’s in those situations,” manager Blake Butera said. “He wants to win, and when he gets a chance up there to help us win and drive in runs to contribute to us winning, there’s nothing he wants more than that.”

The Nationals must have felt a sense of relief in the ninth when they no longer had to face Giants ace Logan Webb. The two-time All-Star pitched a gem, throwing eight innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts. He was his aggressive, workmanlike self, inducing a lot of groundballs.

His performance was sublime, but Nationals right-hander Miles Mikolas did his part to keep the team in the game.

Appearing after opener Richard Lovelady pitched a scoreless first, Mikolas had one of his best pitching performances of the season. He threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and issuing zero walks on 54 pitches.

But in the bottom of the sixth, with two outs and the Nationals up 1-0 thanks to Luis García Jr.’s RBI single in the top half of the inning, Butera called on left-hander Mitchell Parker to face left-handed-hitting right fielder Jung Hoo Lee. Parker gave up three straight two-out, line-drive singles that allowed the Giants to tie the game.

The bullpen yielded two more in the eighth inning when Clayton Beeter allowed a leadoff single and an RBI double by Bryce Eldridge to give the Giants a lead.

Right-hander Gus Varland came on in the ninth and, after giving up a leadoff walk and two-out single put runners on the corners, he shut the door by striking out Eldridge with a high fastball.

Monday’s 4-3 win was a thrilling way for the Nationals to begin their three-game set against the Giants. And while the late-night heroics from the hitters deserve plenty of praise, Mikolas’ outing kept Washington in the game.

Mikolas said that he felt like he had good control, and that his ability to move the fastball around was what allowed him to succeed on Monday.

“My job as a pitcher is to keep us close and let one of [the hitters] be the hero,” he said. “As a staff, we did a good job today. We kept them close, kept that game tight and we can let the the position players be the hero.”

And on Monday, the heroes were Abrams and Lile.

Abrams was the subject of trade rumors all offseason. During a surprisingly strong start to the season, fans are wondering if the team will commit to the talented shortstop long-term.

Through it all, Abrams has remained himself. He’s bought-in to what the new regime is preaching, and dedicated himself to his body and pregame work. The results are paying off in a big way, for him and the team. His unwavering confidence is emblematic of a scrappy, young Nationals team playing with a supreme level of conviction on the field.

“We’re just a young group who’s very confident in their abilities,” Lile said. “It’s just a matter of time [until we’re] showing everybody what we’re capable of doing.”