Young Nats driving force behind nail-biting victory in Denver

DENVER -- The Nationals broke a tie with a five-run fourth inning at Coors Field on Saturday, parlaying home runs from Josh Bell and James Wood into a decisive frame on their way to staking out a 12-2 lead and then holding off a furious late-game rally for a 12-11 victory over the Rockies.

“Another one-run game here at Coors Field,” manager Dave Martinez said of the nail-biter, which felt like a blowout while starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore was in the game.

Gore pitched his fourth quality start in five trips to the hill this season. He allowed two runs over six innings, using 104 pitches to strike out 13 while yielding two walks and four hits, including a two-run shot in the second by Mickey Moniak that accounted for all the runs against Gore. It was Gore’s second double-digit-strikeout game of the season, having fanned 13 Phillies on Opening Day.

Gore credited his past experience in Colorado’s mile-high atmosphere with preparing him to handle breaking pitches that don’t break the same at altitude.

“It's a depth of pitch, and you just start a little lower,” Gore said of his effective use of his curve. “You also have to understand where these hitters want the ball, and if you're able to start it in that spot, you'll get swings.”

The southpaw had 28 swings and misses Saturday.

Bell led off the fourth frame with a solo shot to left off Rockies rookie Chase Dollander. After an infield single, an error by the pitcher, a run-scoring fielder’s choice to shortstop and two outs, Wood hit a three-run homer that sailed a Statcast-projected 426 feet into the left-center-field bleachers. He was 3-for-5 on the day.

Dylan Crews had a breakout game, elevating his average 37 points to .177 with his first career multihomer game. He hit a two-run shot to right-center in the second to put the first runs on the scoreboard, and he added a Statcast-projected 428-foot two-run shot to right-center in the fifth and a double in the seventh. He also reached base on an error in the fourth and scored four runs.

“We know he’s that guy that could hit the ball gap-to-gap, hit home runs,” Martinez said of Crews, who homered in the same game as Wood for the first time this season. “We get those two guys going, it’s a big part of our offense. Today, you saw what they could do.”

Crews had a career-high four RBIs and tied a career high with three hits. His first-inning homer was his first extra-base hit of the season.

“Good things are happening with my swing, and I'm driving the ball to right field,” Crew said. “It's kind of how I've been my whole life; even in college, I’ve been able to drive to the right-center gap. Me and my hitting coaches have been working on it every day. So I’ll use this as momentum and keep going forward.”

The Rockies staged an eight-run rally in the seventh, when reliever Lucas Sims walked two, hit two and allowed a two-run triple to Sean Bouchard. The Nats used three pitchers in the inning, allowing seven runs on three hits -- including two triples -- three walks and two hit-by-pitches.

“You've really got to throw strikes here [at Coors],” Martinez said. “You can't walk guys, no free passes, and you got to play good defense. Those are the two things that are going to hurt you in this ballpark.

“So we hit some batters. We didn't throw strikes. The next thing you know, the wheels fell off.”

The game encapsulated the bullpen’s struggles over the season, with four relievers allowing nine runs and none of them escaping unscathed. With the Nationals leading 12-2 in the seventh, Kyle Finnegan wasn’t expecting to get a save opportunity, but he notched his seventh of the season.

“Here [at Coors Field], the game is never over, so you try to stay locked in the best you can,” Finnegan said. “So 12-2, I'm just relaxing, watching the game. And then you start to see things develop, and I started loosening up a little earlier than usual.”

Finnegan’s confidence in his fellow relievers remained unshaken.

“They're here for a reason,” Finnegan said. “Their stuff's going to play. I've been there myself. I think at this time in [2023] or something, I had a 50.00 ERA. They're doing really good compared to me that year. We trust them.”