WASHINGTON (AP) — Joey Meneses hit a game-winning three-run homer in the 10th inning to cap his first four-hit game as the Washington Nationals rallied to beat the Oakland Athletics 7-5 Thursday night.
Meneses, a 30-year-old rookie, homered to right-center off Oakland rookie Norge Ruiz (0-1), raising his average to .354.
Trailing 5-3 heading into the bottom of the 10th, the Nationals closed within 5-4 on Keibert Ruiz’s run-scoring single with one-out. Lane Thomas walked with two outs, setting the stage for Meneses.
Shea Langeliers homered and drove in three runs for the A’s. Oakland starter Ken Waldichuk, acquired last month in a deal that sent Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino to the New York Yankees, made his major league debut and allowed one run in 4 2/3 innings.
Hunter Harvey, the Nationals’ sixth reliever in the game, retired the first two hitters in the top of the 10th before walking Vimael Machin. Langeliers then doubled off the fence in right-center, scoring Machin and automatic runner Sheldon Neuse.
Harvey (1-0) earned his first victory since Aug. 20, 2019.
Waldichuk quickly found himself behind 1-0 when Lane Thomas laced his first pitch to left for a double and Meneses added a run-scoring single. But, despite getting five hits and four walks against the left-hander, Washington didn’t score again. The Nationals stranded five runners in scoring position in the first three innings.
Waldichuk struck out six, the most for an Oakland starting pitcher in his major league debut since Dallas Braden had six on April 24, 2007, at Baltimore.
Oakland took a 3-1 lead in the seventh on RBI singles by Tony Kemp and Seth Brown. Washington got one back on Nelson Cruz’s run-scoring grounder later in the inning, then tied it on Ildemaro Vargas’ RBI single in the eighth.
Washington starter Paolo Espino yielded five hits and one run — Langeliers’ solo homer to lead off the fifth — in five innings while striking out a season-high six.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Athletics: In addition to adding Waldichuk, Oakland recalled OF Cody Thomas from Triple-A Las Vegas and designated RHP David McKay for assignment. Thomas singled in the fifth for his first hit in the majors.
Nationals: Washington recalled C Tres Barrera and RHP Mason Thompson from Triple-A Rochester.
UP NEXT
Athletics: LHP JP Sears (5-1, 2.28 ERA), who is 2-1 with a 2.53 ERA in four starts with Oakland, gets the nod Friday in the opener of a three-game series at Baltimore.
Nationals: RHP Josiah Gray (7-8, 4.67) pitches for the first time since Aug. 20 as Washington faces the New York Mets to begin a three-city, 10-game trip.
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