Yankees Snap Losing Streak
WASHINGTON — The Yankees finally managed to find their rhythm.
After a disappointing defeat against the Rays, Jazz Chisholm Jr. stepped up to lead the team, helping secure their first back-to-back victories in over two weeks. In a nail-biting game on Friday night at Nationals Park, Chisholm hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning off Yankees lefty Matt Crook, turning the tide and pushing the Yankees to a thrilling 5-3 win over the Nationals.
Following Chisholm’s big hit, Austin Wells added his second home run in as many days, giving reliever David Bednar some cushion to close out the game. This marked the Yankees’ first consecutive wins since late June, improving their dismal record of 2-11 in the meantime. Perhaps they’re starting to gain some momentum after a rough patch.
After a rain delay postponed the first pitch by two hours, the Yankees (52-42) quickly took a 2-1 lead with solo homers from Ben Rice and Jason Dominguez. However, in the seventh inning, Tim Hill allowed the Nationals to take a 3-2 advantage with back-to-back home runs from Keibert Lewis and James Wood.
Despite squandering several scoring opportunities earlier in the game, the Yankees came alive in the bottom of the ninth against Crook. With one out, Dominguez hit a key single to right field, setting the stage for Chisholm. He connected on a perfectly placed pitch, launching it deep for a 4-3 lead.
The Nationals (48-47) then substituted in right-hander Justin Lawrence, but they couldn’t capitalize on their chances as Wells sent a deep hit into the outfield, only for the Yankees to load the bases afterward.
On the pitching front, Ryan Weathers put on a commendable performance against the high-scoring Nationals, limiting their offense to just one run over 5 1/3 innings. He relied primarily on sweepers, sliders, and changeups, only tossing seven four-seam fastballs throughout the game, achieving six hits, no walks, and six strikeouts.
The Yankees aimed to carry the momentum from a strong 12-hit performance against the Rays. Rice, in particular, was impressive, launching a solo shot in the first inning for his 29th of the season and seventh in the last ten games.
However, despite having runners on the corners after Paul Goldschmidt’s single, Dominguez struck out and ended the potential rally.
Weathers did face some challenges early on, aided by defense that at times faltered. In the second inning, former Yankees prospect Andres Chaparro hit a grounder into the shortstop hole, leading to a misplay. This was compounded by another error from Amed Rosario, allowing base runners to reach safety.
Yet, Weathers managed to regain some control, getting crucial groundouts and strikeouts to work his way out of danger. The Nationals managed to score again, with Wood’s double helping to secure their third run thanks to Curtis Meade’s single that tied the game in the third inning.
The Yankees’ defense would falter in the fourth inning but eventually helped Weathers out of a bind. With a groundout from Chaparro and a subsequent error on a throw to first base, the Nationals threatened before the Yankees managed to execute a double play and end the inning.
