By Noah Trister
Jorbit Vivas hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the eighth inning to lift Washington to a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels that snapped the Nationals’ seven-game losing streak Friday night.
The Angels led 2-1 before pinch-hitter Andrew Pinckney tied it with a sacrifice fly off Samy Natera Jr. (1-2) in the eighth. Then Vivas hit a flyball that dropped into the corner in right field to make it 4-2.
Clayton Beeter (6-5) won in relief, and Erik Tolman worked the ninth for his second save. Tolman allowed an RBI double by Christian Moore that very nearly cleared the wall in right-center for a tying homer, but it stayed in the park and the left-hander retired pinch-hitter Kyren Paris on a flyball to end it.
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Mike Trout homered for the first time in over a month for Los Angeles.
Trout hadn’t gone deep since Aug. 10 against Texas, but after 27 consecutive homerless games, he connected off Cade Cavalli in the first inning to put the Angels up 1-0.
After a pair of walks in the fourth put men on first and second, James Wood delivered a two-out single that tied the game at 1.
It stayed that way until the seventh, when Cavalli walked the first two hitters and Moore followed with an RBI single to left, chasing the Washington starter. Cavalli allowed two runs, three hits and two walks in six-plus innings, striking out nine.
After Washington started its half of the eighth with a walk and a single, Crews ended up with a bunt single when Natera fielded the ball but turned toward third, where he had no play.
Yohandy Morales followed with a grounder to short, but rather than concede the tying run and try for a double play up the middle, Zach Neto threw home for the force. Pinckney, who was recalled from Triple-A Rochester when the Nationals put infielder Nasim Nuñez on the bereavement list, hit a flyball deep enough to score the tying run.
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