• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Flores, Lopez help Nationals avoid series sweep

Aug 13, 2007 - 1:33 AM PHOENIX (Ticker) -- Jesus Flores and Felipe Lopez helped cool off the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Flores hit the game-tying homer and Lopez lofted the go-ahead sacrifice fly in the ninth inning as the Washington Nationals rallied for a 7-6 triumph over the Diamondbacks on Sunday.

Arizona entered the game winners of 17-of-20 to turn a 4 1/2-game deficit in the National League West into a four-game division lead.

Trailing, 6-5, in the ninth, Flores opened the inning with his third homer of the season off closer Jose Valverde (1-4).

"I was just trying to protect the zone but I made good contact," Flores said. "I hit it hard but it was high. I wasn't sure if it was going to make it but I got enough."

Robert Fick then delivered his 12th career triple to center before coming home on Lopez's sacrifice fly.

"It is a long flight back so it was good to win that game," Lopez said. "I was just trying to hit the ball in the air and deep enough so the runner could score. We are a young team so it is great to get wins like that."

Reliever Jon Rauch (8-2) picked up the win despite giving up the go-ahead sacrifice fly in the eighth and closer Chad Cordero retired the last three batters for his 26th save for Washington.

Flores' RBI single in the fifth broke up Arizona starter Micah Owings' no-hitter and sparked an impressive rally. Three innings later, Ryan Church's two-run homer against Doug Slaten capped a four-run uprising as the Nationals tied the game at 5-5.

"Basically we stole a game," Church said. "We don't give up until the last out and once we got some guys on base and we tied the game you got that sense that we were right there."

Arizona took a 6-5 edge lead in the bottom half on Stephen Drew's sacrifice fly.

"We battled and came back and took the lead again with our closer out there and that is all you can ask," Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said. "(Valverde) has been pretty good this year. The bullpen as a whole has been very good this year. It just didn't work out."

Eric Byrnes and Mark Reynolds both homered during a three-run third in helping Arizona create an early 5-0 cushion against Washington starter Mike Bacsik.

"These guys don't give up and they give me everything they got everyday," Nationals manager Manny Acta said. "We ended up 3-4 on the trip and came back against these guys. I like the way we are playing right now."

Reynolds finished with three hits and three RBI as Arizona's (67-52) lead in the National League West was trimmed to three games over San Diego (63-54). The Diamondbacks are 17-4 through their last 21 games.

Owings was solid before giving way to the bullpen, yielding one run and four hits with eight strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.

"I felt real good today," Owings said. "I felt that all three pitches, I could throw wherever I wanted. The bullpen has picked me up plenty of times this year. That is not something I am worried about. Nine out of 10 times we win that game."

Bacsik gave up five runs and eight hits in four frames. It was the lefthander's first appearance on the hill since giving up Barry Bonds' record-setting 756th homer last Tuesday.