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Nationals rally, halt Yanks' streak at seven

Jun 10, 2015 - 10:51 PM Bronx, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Denard Span's RBI single in the 11th inning knocked in the deciding run as the Washington Nationals rallied for a 5-4 victory over the New York Yankees, ending the Bronx Bombers' seven-game win streak.

Span finished with three hits and a pair of RBI to help the Nationals halt a three-game skid and even this two-game interleague series. Michael Taylor made a big contribution as well, belting a two-run homer in the eighth inning that tied the contest at 4-4.

"It's important for us to play to the last (out)," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. "Today we did."

Danny Espinosa added a solo homer and ended a triple shy of the cycle for Washington.

All four New York runs came during the seventh inning, with Alex Rodriguez and Brett Gardner recording RBI doubles and Brian McCann driving in the last with a single. Brendan Ryan had an RBI triple and went 2-for-3 in his first game off the disabled list.

The Yankees' seventh-inning surge erased a 2-0 deficit, though their lead did not last for long on a day in which ace relievers Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances were both unavailable. Manager Joe Girardi said afterward that Miller is dealing with a strained forearm and will be placed on the disabled list.

"We've had to deal with (injuries) before," Girardi said. "We lost (Masahiro) Tanaka for six weeks and guys stepped up. It's part of the game."

Yunel Escobar singled on New York starter Nathan Eovaldi's final pitch to begin the eighth, and Taylor clubbed an opposite-field homer off rookie Jacob Lindgren with two out to pull the Nationals even.

"We substituted him in (in the seventh inning) because we were ahead in the game at that point and we need our best defense in there," Williams said of Taylor. "Turned out he got the swing to get us back in it."

Justin Wilson stranded a pair of Washington baserunners in the ninth to keep it a 4-4 score, but the Yankees mustered just one hit in two innings against Blake Treinen (2-2) to send the game into the 11th.

Tyler Moore led off the final frame with a single against Chris Capuano (0-4) and was on third with two outs after a sac bunt and Espinosa's grounder. Span then sent a chopper over Capuano's head and beat Stephen Drew's off-balance throw from second to put the Nationals back in front.

Drew Storen slammed the door shut in New York's final at-bat, fanning two in a perfect inning of work to notch his 18th save of the season.

Washington starter Gio Gonzalez carried a two-hit shutout and a 2-0 edge into the bottom of the seventh, which Chris Young began with a single that led to New York's first run when Ryan scorched a triple off the center-field wall two batters later.

Felipe Rivero relieved Gonzalez and was greeted by Gardner's grounder inside the first-base bag with the infield in, resulting in a double that evened the score at 2-2. Rodriguez followed by driving a fastball from Aaron Barrett over Span's head in center field to easily bring home Gardner, then scored on McCann's grounder that struck second base and caromed out of the reach of Nats shortstop Ian Desmond.

Gonzalez was charged with two runs on four hits over 6 1/3 solid innings of work. The lefty had held the Yankees to one hit through the first five, and New York didn't place a runner in scoring position until Gonzalez issued a walk and hit Ryan with a pitch in the fifth.

Eovaldi was sharp early as well, setting down the first eight Washington hitters before Espinosa and Span delivered back-to-back doubles down the left- field line to give the Nationals a 1-0 lead in the third.

Espinosa also came up big in his next trip to the plate, hammering a first- pitch curve from Eovaldi into the Yankee bullpen to extend the margin in the top of the fifth.

Eovaldi received a final line of three runs allowed on eight hits over 7 1/3 innings, which matched a season high.

Game Notes

The Nationals entered Wednesday's game 1-23 when trailing after seven innings this season, while the loss was only New York's second in 30 outings when ahead through seven ... At 20 years and 90 days of age, Lindgren became the first pitcher younger than Bryce Harper to face the Washington slugger in the majors. Harper is 22 years, 237 days old ... Yankees third baseman Chase Headley went 0-for-5 to have a nine-game hitting streak stopped ... Ryan, sidelined since spring training by a Grade 2 right calf strain, was activated from the 15-day disabled list prior to the game ... Washington improved to 4-1 in extra-inning games and won three of its four season meetings with the Yankees.