Joey Meneses hit a crucial RBI single in the 10th inning, securing a comeback win for the Washington Nationals against the Houston Astros with a score of 5-4 on Saturday.
Ryan Pressly’s ninth-inning struggles led to the Nationals’ late-game heroics, helping them snatch victory from the Astros. Meneses’ decisive hit brought Nasim Nuñez home from second base, clinching the win.
Despite facing a tough situation, Meneses stayed focused on making solid contact with the ball, and his efforts paid off. This victory was particularly special for the Nationals, as they marked the fifth anniversary of their World Series triumph over the Astros in 2019.
Manager Dave Martinez reflected on the team’s resilience, emphasizing their ability to rally late in games. The Astros, on the other hand, faced disappointment after several missed opportunities to close out the game, resulting in their sixth blown save of the season.
“Weird catcher interference to start the inning,” Espada commented. “After that, missing locations. Leaving some pitches in the middle of the plate. Just better execution and we’ll get some swings and misses and get out of that inning.” Espada mentioned that Hader was unavailable.
Kyle Finnegan (1-2) pitched a scoreless 10th to secure the win. He received assistance from right fielder Lane Thomas, who made a remarkable catch on Alex Bregman’s pop-up in foul territory and then threw Jose Altuve out at home.
“I know he ran a long way, but Lane’s good about getting behind the ball and making a really strong throw and accurate throw,” Martinez praised. “I thought he did a great job.”
Houston trailed 2-1 going into the seventh inning before scoring RBI singles from Kyle Tucker and Jeremy Peña. Tucker later added another RBI single in the eighth to extend their lead to 4-2.
Ronel Blanco, who threw a no-hitter earlier in the season and entered the game with a 0.86 ERA, pitched six innings, allowing two runs and five hits.
Blanco faced baserunners in four of the six innings and gave up his first extra-base hit of the season, which was Abrams’ homer leading off the first inning for Washington.
