The Sports Xchange
Jun 25, 2017
WASHINGTON -- Scooter Gennett went 4-for-5, including a homer, and drove in two runs and Tucker Barnhart was 2-for-4 with two RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds beat the first-place Washington Nationals 6-2 Sunday, salvaging the finale of the three-game series and breaking a four-game skid.
Gennett, a Cincinnati native, was 8-for-13 in the series with three RBIs. It was the second four-hit game for Gennett in less than a month with the Reds, as he had five hits (four home runs) on June 6 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Reds starter Scott Feldman (6-5) gave up two runs in seven innings as last-place Cincinnati (31-43) won for just the second time in 15 games. Feldman has the only two wins by a Reds starter since June 8.
The loser was Washington starter Tanner Roark (6-5), who gave up nine hits and six runs in six innings. He was coming off the shortest start of his career, when he allowed six runs in 2 2/3 innings at Miami on June 19. Roark now has a 5.15 ERA after posting a mark of 2.83 in 2016.
The Reds scored five runs in the first off Roark as Gennett, the second batter of the game, had an RBI single and then scored on a throwing error by right fielder Bryce Harper. Patrick Kivlehan drove in a run with a fielder's choice and Barnhart, the No. 8 hitter, had a two-run double off Harper's glove with two outs to make it 5-0.
Gennett had a solo homer in the second to up the margin to 6-0. Gennett and Washington third baseman Anthony Rendon, who was 0-for-4, have both had 10 RBIs in a game this season -- the first time two players have done that in one season since RBIs became an official statistic in 1920.
Michael A. Taylor hit a two-run homer in the fourth to trim the lead to 6-2. Taylor has three homers in the last two games, five homers in his last 11 and 11 overall after becoming the regular center fielder in late April. Harper had three hits for Washington (45-30) and Brian Goodwin had two. Billy Hamilton had two hits for the Reds.
NOTES: Washington LHP Gio Gonzalez (7-1, 2.96 ERA) will face Cubs RHP Eddie Butler (3-2, 4.19) on Monday at Nationals Park. ... Reds RHP Brandon Finnegan (1-0, 2.70) will oppose Cardinals RHP Michael Wacha (3-3, 4.76) on Monday in a makeup game at St. Louis. ... Reds bench coach Jim Riggleman is from nearby Rockville, Md., and was the manager of the Nationals from 2009 to 2011. ... The Nationals are 20-15 at home and 25-15 on the road.