WASHINGTON (AP) — José Tena hit a game-winning RBI single in the 10th inning hours after being called up from the minor leagues, and the Washington Nationals defeated the Los Angeles Angels 5-4 on Saturday night to earn their second walk-off victory in as many days.
James Wood homered and Alex Call had his fifth consecutive multi-hit game for Washington, which has won back-to-back games since sinking to a season-high 12 games under .500 on Thursday.
Tena’s second RBI hit of the night capped the Nationals’ third walk-off victory and 31st come-from-behind win of the year.
“I told him he wasn’t going to bunt,” Washington manager Dave Martinez said. “I said, ‘I want you to drive this run in and try to stay in the middle of the field.’ And he drove it. He’s got a nice swing.”
Zach Neto smashed his 17th home run of the season as part of a three-hit night for the Angels.
CJ Abrams, serving as the automatic runner while pinch-running for catcher Keibert Ruiz, moved up to third when Roansy Contreras (2-2) opened the 10th with a wild pitch. Tena, who Washington acquired from Cleveland as part of a package for Lane Thomas last month and was making his debut with the Nationals, ripped the next pitch off the wall in left-center to win it.
“The manager had told me I was going to win the game for us,” Tena said through a team interpreter. “Once I realized the hit was going to be the game-winning one, I turned around and gave him a little grin.”
Derek Law (7-2) pitched two innings of one-hit ball and lowered his ERA to 2.91. Law is tied for second in the majors with 59 appearances, and Saturday was the 15th time he pitched at least two innings.
“What he’s done for us not just tonight but the whole year, this guy just takes the ball,” Martinez said. “We talked the other day about how you never to have to ask whether he’ll pitch or not. If you call his name out, he’ll be ready to pitch.”
Four Nationals relievers combined to give up two hits and a walk in six scoreless innings.
The Angels were 1 for 14 with runners in scoring position on Saturday and are 2 for 27 for the series.
“That’s not too good,” manager Ron Washington said. “I don’t know if you give credit to their pitchers over there to shut us down like that or we just didn’t have good at-bats.”
The Nationals tied it in the seventh, 4-4, against Angels starter Griffin Canning. Wood doubled in Juan Yepez with none out, then came around when Tena swatted a single to left.
Canning matched a season high with seven innings, yielding four runs and eight hits without a walk or a strikeout.
Washington opened the scoring on Wood’s opposite-field homer into the visitor’s bullpen in left-center to lead off the second and took a 2-1 lead on Call’s sharp single through a drawn-in infield with one out in the third.
The Angels went ahead 3-2 on Neto’s leadoff homer in the fifth off Patrick Corbin. After Logan O’Hoppe walked, Kevin Pillar drove him in with a double to right-center that ended Corbin’s night.
Brandon Drury drove in Los Angeles’ first two runs against the left-hander with a sacrifice fly in the second and an RBI single in the fourth.
Corbin allowed four runs and eight hits in four-plus innings. He is 0-3 with a 9.45 ERA in four attempts to earn his 100th career victory since defeating Cincinnati on July 19.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Angels: Los Angeles placed RHP José Marte (viral infection) on the 15-day injured list.
Nationals: Abrams (upper back spasms) was out of the lineup for the second day in a row. … Washington recalled Tena from Triple-A Rochester, activated RHP Jordan Weems (shin splints) from the 15-day injured list and optioned RHP Joan Adon and INF Trey Lipscomb to Rochester.
UP NEXT
LHP MacKenzie Gore (7-9, 4.66 ERA) starts for Washington as the three-game series concludes. RHP Jack Kochanowicz (0-2, 14.14), who was recalled Saturday from Double-A Rocket City, will make his third major league start for Los Angeles.
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