CJ Abrams, Foster Griffin spark Nationals over D-backs

CJ Abrams had three hits including a home run, Foster Griffin pitched into the seventh inning and the Nationals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-3 on Saturday in Washington.

Abrams tied the game with a two-run double in the third and hit his 25th home run in the fifth, giving him a major-league-leading 79 RBIs. He also singled and stole his 17th base.

Griffin (12-2), a free agent at the end of the season, may have been making his final start for Washington with the trade deadline approaching. Griffin, who struck out two and walked one, allowed three runs on six hits after giving up one or zero earned runs in eight straight starts.

Clayton Beeter pitched 1-2-3 ninth for his ninth save.

Gabriel Moreno had a two-run single for Arizona, which had won four straight, and Tim Tawa had two hits and a run.

Rookie Mitch Bratt (0-1) gave up five runs on seven hits over five innings in his fourth start. He struck out three and walked five.

An error by second baseman Ketel Marte gave the Nationals runners on first and second with one out in the second, but Bratt retired Nasim Nunez and Keibert Ruiz.

The D-backs struck for two runs in the third. Ryan Waldschmidt led off with a single and Corbin Carroll was hit by a pitch. Geraldo Perdomo bunted the runners over and Moreno followed with a two-run single.

Washington answered with a four-run rally in the bottom half. Curtis Mead walked with one out and Andres Chaparro doubled him to third. Abrams lined a double to center and the game was tied. After Abrams was out trying to steal third, Dylan Crews walked. Jacob Young singled and Daylen Lile tripled into the right field corner and the Nationals led 4-2.

Abrams made it 5-2 when he homered to right-center leading off the fifth.

In the seventh, Tawa doubled with two outs and scored on a single by James McCann. Eddy Yean came on and retired pinch hitter Max Kepler to end the inning.

--Field Level Media