The Sports Xchange
Jul 30, 2017
WASHINGTON -- Edwin Jackson pitched seven strong innings, and Adam Lind and Brian Goodwin both homered in the fifth inning as the Washington Nationals defeated the Colorado Rockies 3-1 on Sunday to salvage a split in a day-night doubleheader.
Washington avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of Colorado, which nonetheless earned its first road series victory since taking three of four from the Chicago Cubs on June 8-11. The Rockies had dropped their previous six road series.
Jackson (2-1) matched his longest outing of the season, allowing a run on four hits and two walks. He struck out six while lowering his ERA to 2.84 in three starts for the Nationals.
Ryan Madson pitched a perfect eighth inning, and Sean Doolittle retired the Rockies in order in the ninth to earn his third save with the Nationals.
During the game, Colorado announced it had acquired catcher Jonathan Lucroy in a trade from Texas for a player to be named. Lucroy, who played his entire career with Milwaukee prior to an Aug. 1 trade to Texas last year, was hitting .242 with four homers and 27 RBIs in 77 games this season.
Rockies right-hander Jon Gray (3-2) turned in his longest outing of 2017, scattering four hits and one walk over seven innings while striking out eight. But he encountered trouble in one inning, and the Nationals' three-run fifth proved costly.
Lind gave Washington its first lead of the three-game series, belting a two-run homer to left off Gray in the fifth. Goodwin followed two hitters later with a solo shot to left to make it 3-1.
Both teams rested key regulars in the doubleheader's nightcap. Outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, second baseman DJ LeMahieu and shortstop Trevor Story were out of the Rockies' lineup, while outfielder Bryce Harper and first baseman Ryan Zimmerman got breathers for the Nationals.
Gray became the second Colorado pitcher in as many nights to take a perfect game beyond the fourth inning, after German Marquez set down the first 16 hitters in the Rockies' 4-2 victory over Washington on Saturday. However, third baseman Anthony Rendon led off the fifth with a single to left to give the Nationals their first baserunner of the game and set up Lind's homer a batter later.
In the opener, Nolan Arenado and LeMahieu both had three hits and two RBIs, Blackmon had four hits and Kyle Freeland (11-7) pitched five innings as Colorado defeated Washington 10-6. Zimmerman homered twice and drove in four runs for the Nationals, his fourth multi-homer game this season. Zimmerman has hit 24 homers this year.
NOTES: Colorado placed LHP Jake McGee (mid-back strain) on the 10-day disabled list, retroactive to July 27. To replace McGee on the active roster, the Rockies recalled LHP Zac Rosscup from Triple-A Albuquerque. ... Colorado added RHP Carlos Estevez as its 26th man for the doubleheader. Estevez, who was optioned to Albuquerque on Saturday, is 4-0 with an 8.10 ERA in five stints with the Rockies this season. ... Washington recalled C Pedro Severino from Triple-A Syracuse as its 26th man. ... The Nationals released OF Chris Heisey, who was on the DL with a left groin strain, to open a spot on the 40-man roster for RHP Erick Fedde, who started the opener and allowed seven runs in four innings. ... Nationals 2B Daniel Murphy was out of the lineup for the opener of the doubleheader, the first game he didn't start since July 14. Murphy pinch-hit in the sixth and remained in the game, then started the nightcap and went 0-for-3.