CJ Abrams hits 2 of Nats’ 5 homers in 10-4 win for 3-game sweep of skidding Orioles

BALTIMORE (AP) — CJ Abrams went deep on the first two pitches he saw from Zach Eflin, and the Washington Nationals hit five homers in a 10-4 victory over the free-falling Baltimore Orioles on Sunday for a three-game sweep.

Luis Garcia Jr. and Dylan Crews also connected against Eflin (3-2) during a six-run second inning that helped Washington complete its first sweep of the season.

Josh Bell’s solo shot off Brian Baker completed Washington’s first five-homer game since Sept. 29, 2023. Abrams also doubled.

Cedric Mullins homered, doubled and contributed his team-leading 26th and 27th RBIs for Baltimore, which has lost six straight and 12 of 14, the final two of those following the firing of manager Brandon Hyde.

Gunnar Henderson also homered off Michael Soroka (1-2) in the sixth, and Jackson Holliday connected off Brad Lord in the seventh.

The 31-year-old Eflin allowed 10 hits and a career worst-tying eight earned runs over 5 1/3 innings, last matched in 2017.

Key moment

While Abrams’ leadoff shot set the tone, Crews’ three-run blast an inning later pushed Washington’s early lead to five. It also came on the first pitch, an 89 mph sinker in the middle of the zone that Crews drove into the Orioles bullpen.

Key stat

Half of Abrams’ eight homers this have come in leadoff at-bats. He has 11 career leadoff homers with Washington, moving within three of Alfonso Soriano for the most since the franchise moved from Montreal in 2005.

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Nationals: Left-hander Mitchell Parker makes his second consecutive start against Atlanta to open a home series on Tuesday. He allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings, receiving a no-decision in Wednesday’s 5-4 win.

Orioles: Right-hander Dean Kremer looks to become the first Baltimore pitcher to record a second victory this month in the opener of a four-game set at Milwaukee on Monday.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb