Ruiz walks off A’s for another home series win

The Nationals have been playing well at home over the last month. It took some time, but that trend continued tonight against the Athletics.

With the game tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth, Keibert Ruiz stepped to the plate and delivered a first-pitch walk-off home run to right field for a 3-2 win in front of 28,635 screaming fans.

The walk-off was set up by an eighth-inning rally from a 2-1 deficit.

It started with Stone Garrett drawing a leadoff walk, Jake Alu placing a bunt up the middle past the pitcher’s mound and Blake Rutherford drawing a walk to load the bases with no outs.

Up stepped Lane Thomas, who was scratched from the starting lineup 2 ½ hours before first pitch, to deliver a pinch-hit RBI single to tie the game 2-2.

With a chance to take a lead into the ninth, CJ Abrams grounded into a 1-2-3 double play and Joey Meneses struck out, leaving two runners in scoring position.

Kyle Finnegan came in to pitch a perfect top of the ninth to keep the game tied.

The Nationals needed length from Jake Irvin in their second game against the Athletics.

After Joan Adon was removed before the fourth inning of last night’s win due to leg cramps, the long relief arms – Cory Abbott and Robert Garcia – were used up and likely unavailable Saturday.

Irvin provided that length, completing 6 ⅔ innings of two-run ball for his fifth quality start.

The rookie right-hander was steady throughout his 18th start. He didn’t issue any walks and struck out six with a steady use of sinkers and curveballs, while his velocity across the board was higher than his yearly average.

The only blemishes came on home runs, of which he has now given up 13 over his last nine starts.

The first came off the bat of JJ Bleday in the third, tying the game at 1-1. Irvin left a 1-2 fastball right down the middle for the outfielder to hit to center field. The second was a two-out shot by Brent Rooker on a 1-2 pitch to put the Nats down 2-1 in the sixth. This was a better pitch by Irvin, a low curveball on the outside corner of the strike zone. It was just a good piece of hitting by A’s designated hitter.

Irvin had a strong finish to his outing in the seventh inning. After a single and double to start the frame, he came back to get a groundout and strikeout on his 99th pitch of the night, 66th for a strike. That opened the way for Jose A. Ferrer to get out of the jam, which he did with an infield popout.

This was Irvin’s fifth outing of completing six innings or more and his sixth with six or more strikeouts.

But despite the solid outing from their starter, the Nationals couldn’t score more runs to put him in line for a win.

The Nats’ first run came on a bad sequence of events by A’s starter Luis Medina.

To start the second inning, the rookie right-hander got Ildemaro Vargas to hit a comebacker right to the mound. Medina snagged it, but slowly jogged to first base for the out. Vargas, noticing the pitcher’s slow pace, hustled down the line and beat him to the bag for an infield single.

Garrett then drew a walk and Rutherford recorded his elusive first major league hit – his first of the night – to load the bases with one out. Alex Call did enough to score a run for a 1-0 lead by putting the ball in the play, but it was the only run to be scored that inning after a golden opportunity for more.

Unfortunately, more opportunities were wasted. The Nationals loaded the bases with one out in the fourth and sixth innings, and both times Abrams and Meneses (who was hitting in the No. 2 hole after Thomas was scratched from the starting lineup) left them stranded.

The Nationals have now won eight of their last 12 games overall and 11 of their last 13 games on South Capitol Street.