The Sports Xchange
Jul 16, 2017
CINCINNATI -- Daniel Murphy homered twice and had five RBIs, Adam Lind and Jose Lobaton hit two-run homers, and Anthony Rendon added a solo shot, lifting the Washington Nationals to a 14-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday afternoon at Great American Ball Park.
Washington (55-36) scored more than 10 runs for the 17th time this season to maintain its 9 1/2-game lead in the National League East over second-place Atlanta.
Rendon, who had two home runs, including a grand slam and six RBIs on Saturday, hit his 19th home run in the seventh inning off former National Drew Storen. Lobaton also homered off Storen in the seventh.
Tanner Roark (7-6) allowed three unearned runs and only four hits over six innings to snap a personal four-game losing streak.
Prior to making his season debut on June 24, Reds right-hander Homer Bailey had made just eight starts the past two years due to multiple elbow surgeries. He allowed 14 earned runs over his first 4 2/3 innings back but gave up just one run through 6 2/3 innings in his last start at Arizona.
However, Sunday was a step back for Bailey.
With two outs in the first, Murphy hit his 15th home run of the season, a two-run shot off Bailey to give the Nationals a 2-0 lead.
Murphy then doubled leading off the second and scored on Chris Heisey's double to make the score 3-0.
A pair of defensive miscues led to two Cincinnati runs in the third.
Bailey appeared to strike out swinging to begin the inning but reached first when Lobaton didn't throw to first assuming he'd caught the low pitch cleanly before it hit the dirt. The Reds loaded the bases and scored runs on a groundout and fielding error by Wilmer Difo to cut the Nationals' deficit to 4-2.
Bailey then walked two to begin the fifth, and Murphy launched his 1-2 pitch on to the bullpen netting in right field. It was his fourth multi-home run game, first this season.
Lind's two-run homer later in the fifth, his seventh of the season off Ariel Hernandez made the score 9-2.
Bailey (2-3) allowed eight earned runs on eight hits over four-plus innings.
NOTES: The Nationals acquired RHP Ryan Madson and LHP Sean Doolittle from the Oakland Athletics on Sunday in exchange for RHP Blake Treinen, LHP Jesus Luzardo, and INF Sheldon Neuse. ... Nationals 3B Anthony Rendon is the only major-leaguer to have multiple six-plus RBI games this season. He drove in six on Saturday night and 10 on April 30. Only two other Nationals players have had multiple six-RBI games in a season: Josh Willingham (2009) and Danny Espinosa (2016). ... Reds RF Jesse Winker made his first career start in the field on Sunday and went 1-for-2 with two walks. His previous two starts were as a DH.