WASHINGTON (AP) Three years ago, Matt Adams’ dad initiated a holiday tradition with his slugging son: No matter where Adams was playing, he would be in the stadium on Father’s Day.
Jamie Adams got a big payoff for his roughly three-hour drive from Pennsylvania this year.
Matt Adams homered twice and drove in a career-high seven runs, Anibal Sanchez got his 100th career victory, and the Washington Nationals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 15-5 on Sunday to split their four-game series.
Adams, Anthony Rendon and Kurt Suzuki homered off Arizona reliever Zack Godley, and Adams added a grand slam against Stefan Crichton in the eighth. Adams tied a career best with two long drives and has nine career multihomer games.
”It’s something special to be able to have a game like this, career-high RBIs and to be able to have him in the stands,” Adams said.
Adam Eaton had three hits and two walks for Washington, which piled up 15 hits while matching its season scoring high.
Arizona went 7-3 on its three-city road trip but allowed its most runs since an 18-5 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 30.
”It was just a dud of a game,” manager Torey Lovullo said.
Sanchez (3-6) pitched six innings, allowing two runs and six hits while striking out three. He is 3-0 with a 1.54 ERA over four starts since returning from the injured list May 29. The 35-year-old is the second Nationals pitcher to reach 100 wins this month. Stephen Strasburg earned his 100th victory on June 4.
”Why not? Make your 100 on that kind of special day,” said Sanchez, whose two children were in attendance. ”But 100, that’s special any day.”
Washington scored three runs in the first against Archie Bradley (2-4), with Howie Kendrick hitting a bases-loaded single and Suzuki following with a two-run single two batters later. Eaton chased Bradley, who made his first start since Oct. 1, 2016, with a one-out RBI single in the second.
”There’s been a lot of times this year giving up runs when I had no clue where the ball was going – I didn’t feel confident, I didn’t feel good.” Bradley said. ”(Today) I stood on the mound and I threw the ball where I wanted to. I saw the pitches I wanted to throw. They kind of hit them today. It wasn’t necessarily like I got crushed. They just hit them where we weren’t, and I kind of put us in a hole early.”
MARTE’S PARTY
Arizona OF Ketel Marte hit a solo shot in the first, his third homer in two days and 20th of the season, as part of a three-hit game. He hit .372 (16 of 43) with six homers and 7 RBIs on the Diamondbacks’ trip.
”He’s playing at an All-Star pace,” Lovullo said. ”I hope he gets strong consideration. The game is on national TV yesterday and the world saw somebody do something pretty special. He’s a good player. Like I keep saying over and over, we’re getting a chance to watch him every single day and the rest of the country needs to pay attention to what’s going on here.”
SUZUKI EXITS
Suzuki exited in the seventh with a neck injury when Tanner Rainey’s pitch bounced in the dirt and hit the catcher. ”The doctor said he is fine,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. ”He is in there now, and he said he is fine. But it was kind of scary when he got lightheaded and couldn’t walk back to the dugout.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Diamondbacks: Lovullo said C Alex Avila will be shut down for ”a couple of weeks” after an MRI revealed a Grade 1 strain of his left calf. … INF Jake Lamb (strained left quadriceps) hit a two-run homer Saturday for Triple-A Reno. Lamb is hitting .263 with a home run and six RBIs in six games on his rehabilitation assignment.
Nationals: Washington placed RHP Kyle Barraclough (right radial nerve irritation) on the 10-day injured list. He is 1-2 with a 6.39 ERA in 32 relief appearances. INF Adrian Sanchez was recalled from Double-A Harrisburg, giving the Nationals a five-man bench.
UP NEXT
Diamondbacks: Arizona is off Monday. RHP Merrill Kelly (7-6, 3.73 ERA) starts against Colorado on Tuesday as the Diamondbacks begin a nine-game homestand against NL West opponents.
Nationals: LHP Patrick Corbin (5-5, 4.11), who is 0-3 with an 11.37 ERA over his last three starts, gets the nod Monday as Philadelphia arrives for the opener of a four-game series.
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