Washington, DC – Adam LaRoche and Ryan Zimmerman each recorded multiple hits and drove in a run as the Washington Nationals completed a two-game interleague sweep with a 5-4 victory over Detroit on Thursday.
Bryce Harper and Ian Desmond also supplied an RBI apiece for the Nationals, who have won four straight and six of seven. Starter Dan Haren (4-3) allowed four runs on nine hits and struck out three over six innings.
"We've come a long way in a week," Haren said, "and we're still not at full strength."
Matt Tuiasosopo hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning for Detroit, which saw starter Doug Fister (4-1) pick up his first loss of the season. The right- hander drove in the Tigers' other run with an RBI single, but lasted just three frames and allowed eight hits and five runs -- four earned -- while striking out four in defeat.
Detroit dropped both games of this series following a four-game sweep of Houston.
Trailing 5-1 entering the top of the sixth, Detroit rallied with Tuiasosopo's pinch-hit three-run jack.
Haren opened up the inning by generating two quick outs, in between issuing a walk to Jhonny Peralta, and Omar Infante kept the frame alive with a bunt single. Tuiasosopo, though, pinch-hit for reliever Darin Downs and crushed Haren's 2-1 offering over the left field wall to cut the Tigers' deficit to 5-4.
Rafael Soriano added to Washington's solid bullpen performance by working around a two-out single in the ninth to earn his 12th save of the season.
The Nationals jumped on Fister early and plated three runs in the first. Denard Span and Roger Bernadina opened up the game with a double and single, respectively, and Harper grounded into a fielder's choice to plate the first run.
Ryan Zimmerman followed with a poke to left to moving Harper to second and Adam LaRoche smacked a single up the middle, though Austin Jackson's fielding error in center allowed Harper to score and gave the Nats a 2-0 edge. Desmond returned the favor and made it 3-0 with another single up the middle, plating Zimmerman to finish the scoring.
In the second, Fister helped his own cause with an RBI single to center, bringing home Peralta to put the Tigers on the board. It also broke an 0- for-29 slump from Detroit pitchers.
Washington poured on two more runs in the bottom of the frame. Fister plunked Span with one out and then issued a walk to Bernadina. The right-hander looked to settle down as he struck out Harper, but then gave up back-to-back two-out RBI singles by Zimmerman and LaRoche, which gave the home team a 5-1 lead.
Game Notes
The game was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but the contest was postponed due to rain ... Fister's RBI single was the first for a Tigers pitcher since 2009 ... Haren, who allowed more than three earned runs for the first time since his debut on April 5, is 4-0 in five starts versus Detroit since 2008 ... The Nationals improved to 13-0 this season when scoring five or more runs.
