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By Liz Alper
Photo: Juan Soto kicked off a night of three home runs for the Nationals with his first big league homer in the second. Via @Nationals on Twitter
May 21, 2018 (Washington, D.C.) - After a successful series against the Pirates, the Padres journeyed to our nation’s capital to start a midweek series with the Nationals. Robbie Erlin started against Gio Gonzalez for the Nats.
The Padres do need to practice self-control. In the second, the Nationals came with the line drives--two straight--and Juan Soto launched his first home run as a big leaguer to put the Nationals way out in front. Trea Turner of course showed up and drove a line drive RBI double down the right field line to score Wilmer Difo. And of course, there was Bryce Harper, who did the exact same thing (only his line drive went off the right field wall) to score Turner to give the Nats a 5-0 lead out of the gate.
Mark Reynolds kicked off the third with his third home run of the season on the first pitch of the at-bat to make it 6-0 Nats.
The Padres got on the board in a big way thanks to Franmil Reyes, who launched his first big league home run in the fourth. It was good for two runs and the Padres cut the lead to 6-2.
It didn’t matter. Those would be the only runs the Padres would get as Harper hit the Nats’ hat trick home run in the fifth off of Bryan Mitchell to make it 7-2 Nats.
Michael A. Taylor added more in the sixth when he hit a line drive to right. Reyes tried to be cute and make a diving play, but missed and the ball traveled all the way back to the wall, giving Taylor an RBI triple. Turner scored him on an RBI double, his 10th double of the season and second of the night, to give the Nats a 9-2 lead.
Reynolds hit another home run on the first pitch in the seventh, his second of the night, to give the Nats a double-digit win in game one, 10-2.
Game two tomorrow is at 4:05 p.m. Kyle Lauer starts against Jeremy Hellickson for the Nats.
Transaction news:
- LHP Tyler Webb called up
- Carlos Asuaje sent to AAA El Paso
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