WASHINGTON (AP) — Sonny Gray pitched six innings of two-hit ball and the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Nationals 3-0 in seven innings on Thursday night for a split after Washington won 5-3 in the completion of a suspended game.
Trea Turner and Josh Bell hit run-scoring singles in the sixth inning for the Nationals in the finish of a game that started Wednesday night.
Gray (1-3) struck out five, walked one and required only two putouts from his outfield to complete Cincinnati’s first series win in Washington since 2015.
Eugenio Suárez hit his 11th homer and first leadoff shot of his career. The drive came against Stephen Strasburg (1-2), who allowed all three runs and departed after a two-run fifth.
Jesse Winker singled in a run off the second-base bag and Tyler Naquin doubled inside the left field line. Gray also singled in the inning, one of five hits Strasburg allowed.
Lucas Sims worked the ninth for his third save.
Washington led 3-0 when Wednesday night’s game was suspended in middle of the fourth inning following a rain delay of 3 hours, 4 minutes.
When it resumed Thursday afternoon, Austin Voth (1-0) allowed two hits in two scoreless innings to follow the four scoreless innings Joe Ross pitched on Wednesday.
“For me, I tried to treat it like I was coming out of the bullpen,” said Voth, who has 21 starts over his big league career but none this season.
“Today kind of felt normal,” he added latter. “Like I was preparing for a day game. It didn’t seem too weird.”
Daniel Hudson allowed two inherited runners to score in a three-run eighth, and Brad Hand worked the ninth for his eighth save in 10 chances.
Nick Castellanos and Tucker Barnhart singled in runs for the Reds, and Kyle Farmer added a sacrifice fly. Winker had four hits.
“We didn’t quit,” Barnhart said. “We put some good at-bats together in the eighth. We just couldn’t get anything going in the ninth.”
Ross and Starlin Castro singled in runs Wednesday, and Alex Avila drew a bases-loaded walk off Jeff Hoffman (3-4), who gave up two runs, two hits and five walks in 1 1/3 innings.
TRAINERS ROOM
Reds: Hoffman, who was placed on the 10-day injured list after he left Wednesday’s game with shoulder soreness, returned to Cincinnati and was evaluated. “He has a shoulder impingement,” manager David Bell said. “It’s not going to require surgery. He’s going to have an aggressive rehab on it and try to get back as quick as he can.” Cincinnati recalled LHP Cionel Perez from Triple-A Louisville. He opened Thursday’s action with a perfect fourth inning.
Nationals: RHP Tanner Rainey was activated from the COVID-19 injured list and RHP Kyle McGowin was optioned to Triple-A Rochester. Rainey came on to start the eighth, allowing three runs and three singles without retiring a batter. ... RHP Erick Fedde has been cleared to participate in baseball activities on Friday but remains on the COVID-19 injured list. “He’s missed some time,” manager Dave Martinez said of Fedde, whose last start came on May 16. “We’ve got to figure out a good game plan for him to keep him healthy.” UP NEXT
Reds: RHP Vladimir Gutiérrez makes his major league debut Friday at Wrigley Field.
Nationals: LHP Jon Lester (0-2) starts Friday against Milwaukee.
