Washington Nationals starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez delivered a pitch in the third inning against the Oakland Athletics at Nationals Park, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022, in Washington (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

Behind a superb performance by the veteran Hurler Anibal Sanchez, the Washington Nationals snapped the Oakland A’s modest three-game winning streak Wednesday night with a 5-1 win at Nationals Park in DC. Sanchez had not won a game since the 2020 season. He was 0-5 before the start of the game, and his ERA was 5.72.

The A’s starter James Kaprielian absorbed the loss. Kap’s record is 3-9. Kaprielian has pitched six innings or fewer in his last 32 starts. Kap seems to run into trouble whenever he faces the opponent’s lineup for the third time.

The A’s grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning. First baseman Dermis Garcia hit a 457-foot blast into the left-field seats with one out. It was Garcia’s second homer run in the last two games and his second home run in his Major League carer. Garcia did not doubt that the ball would leave the yard after he hit the ball. The A’s didn’t know it at the time that they were done putting runs on the board.

Kaprielian had his way with the Nats for the first three innings. He got out of a jam in the fourth. With two out, Nelson Cruiz and Keibert Ruiz singled to put men on at first and third. Kap struck out Lane Thomas for the third out.

Things went south for Kap in the bottom of the fifth. Kap walked the leadoff hitter CJ Abrams. A’s second baseman Jonah Bride misplayed Idelmaro Vargas’ ground ball. The speedy Abrams went to third on the play. Josh Palacios singled to drive in Abrams. Nats’ second baseman Luis Garcia singled to drive in Vargas.

The Nats led 2-1. Kaprielian got the 30-year-old rookie, Joey Meneses, to hit into a 5-4-3 double play. All Kaprielioan had to do to get end the inning was retire Luke Voit. Voit had a tough night in Tuesday’s game. He was hitless in five trips to the plate and struck out three times. Voit was hitless in his first two appearances Wednesday night. Voit ended the drought when he blasted his 17th home run of the year into the right-center-field seats to put the Nats ahead 4-1.

A’s manager Mark Kotsay elected to send Kap out to pitch the sixth. Three of the four runs the Nats scored in the fifth were unearned. Kaprielian retired Ruiz and Thomas for the first two outs. Abrams ended Kap’s night when he doubled. Kotsay brought in lefty Zach Logue to pitch to the switch-hitter, Ildemare Vargas. Vargas doubled to make it a 5-1 game.

As mentioned above, Sanchez went seven innings, allowing three hits and one run. His only mistake was Demis Garcia’s monster home run. Charles Edwards, Jr. and Kurt Finnegan held the A’s scoreless in the eighth and ninth innings to preserve the win for Sanchez and the Nationals.

Game Notes- With the loss, the A’s are 49-82. The Nats are 44-86. Washington entered the game with a woeful home record of 20-47.

The line score for Washington was five runs, nine hits, and one error. The line for Oakland was one run, five hits, and no errors. The A’s loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth but failed to score.

The A’s meet the Nationals Thursday at 1 pm. The A’s will start Lefty Ken Waldichuk, who will make his first Major League start. Waldichuk came to the A’s from the Yankees in the trade for Frankie Montas. Righty Paolo Espino (0-6, 4.35 ERA0 will be on the mound for the Nats.
After the series with the Nationals end, the A’s will head to Baltimore to play three games against the revitalized Orioles.