Nationals strike first again and go on to claim fifth straight road series

SAN FRANCISCO — On their West Coast road trip, the Washington Nationals have made it a habit of scoring instant offense.

In Tuesday’s 6-3 win, for the third time in five games, the Nationals got off to a 2-0 lead after James Wood walked and Luis García Jr. clobbered a two-run homer.

Entering Tuesday, the Nationals (35-33) had scored the most first-inning runs in the sport. Setting the tone is important for any team, but especially the Nationals.

“It’s really helpful to get ahead,” García said, “especially that early in the game. It gives confidence not only to the offense but also to the starting pitcher.”

Washington improved to 23-13 on the road and clinched its second series win of the trip. With Tuesday night’s win, the Nationals have won five straight road series for the first time since 2014.

The team has responded in resounding fashion after a dud three-game sweep at home against the Marlins. That lackluster showing is beginning to look more like an aberration than a sign of any downturn in the team’s performance.

Things nearly turned sideways for the Nationals in the fifth while leading 3-0. Starter Andrew Alvarez walked All-Star slugger Rafael Devers and allowed a single to Luis Arraez. Right-hander Brad Lord replaced Alvarez and got Willy Adames out on strikes, but Jung Hoo Lee attacked a 3-2 fastball for a two-run double that trimmed the lead to 3-2.

Lord walked first baseman Bryce Eldridge and allowed a single to third baseman Matt Chapman to load the bases. At a critical juncture, the right-hander responded and recorded back-to-back outs to end the inning.

“Not a huge fan of how we got into those jams, but glad that we were able to minimize and get out of a couple of those hairy innings there,” manager Blake Butera said. “Ultimately happy when [the pitchers are] putting zeros up, I just wish we made it a little less stressful.”

The Nationals’ pitching staff entered Tuesday in the middle of the pack in walk rate (9.1%), but they often run into trouble when they’re spraying balls.

Alvarez struggled with his command on Tuesday, issuing five walks and striking out four. Butera said he thought Alvarez was trying to be “a little too fine,” and trying to make perfect pitches.

“I got to be better,” Alvarez said. “Plain and simple.”

In the seventh, the Nationals added to their lead and scored a run with the bases loaded on a passed ball. Pinch-hitter Dylan Crews loaded the bases again on a five-pitch walk before CJ Abrams popped up for the first out. The Nationals scored their second run of the inning on left fielder Daylen Lile’s one-out RBI walk, but couldn’t blow the game open after Curtis Mead lined out and Nasim Nuñez struck out.

The Giants almost made the Nationals pay for not landing the decisive blow. Lord recorded back-to-back outs before trouble started brewing. San Francisco loaded the bases after Eldridge walked, Chapman reached on a fielding error and Daniel Susac singled. Left-hander Richard Lovelady entered the game and induced a lineout to end the threat.

Lord lowered his ERA to 2.30 after throwing 2 2/3 scoreless innings. Butera thought Lord did a good job of mixing locations and maintaining his velocity. The 26-year-old has pitched in a variety of roles for the team, and Butera lauded him for his impact overall.

“He’s been huge for us,” he said, “whether he’s coming in early in the game in clean innings and given us some length, [or] pitched late in games with traffic.”

In the ninth, Abrams reached base on a fielding error and scored on Lile’s two-out RBI triple. The Nationals are a different a team when they get that early lead — Washington was 0-29 when trailing after eight innings before Monday’s comeback win — and Tuesday was another example of that.

After Tuesday’s win, the Nationals sit in a three-way tie for the final National League wild-card spot. But it’s still far too soon to think about October.

The Nationals continue to just go out there and play with a youthful exuberance, not worried about what the prognosticators pegged them to finish at the beginning of the season.

“We all come here, work hard, and try to have fun,” García said. “There’s people that’s not gonna believe in you and the team, but the most important thing is to stay together and keep working hard.”