CJ Abrams’ two homers carry Nationals past Tigers in 3-1 duel at Comerica Park

Abrams supplied all the separation Washington needed

Washington’s offense was sparse in the usual places and sharp in the most valuable one. The Nationals finished with seven hits, no walks and eight strikeouts, but Abrams turned two of those seven hits into the entire scoreboard for his club. His solo drive to right-center in the second inning opened the game, and after Detroit had finally drawn level, he struck again in the seventh with a two-run homer to right that also brought home Dylan Crews.

That combination gave Abrams all three Washington RBIs and gave the game its shape. Crews played a central supporting role with a 2-for-4 night and one of the Nationals’ two runs that did not come directly off Abrams’ bat. There were other useful touches in a compact offensive line — Washington also stole three bases — but the larger truth was simple: the Nationals did not need a long rally when their shortstop provided instant offense twice. Against a Detroit staff that issued no walks all night, those swings were the cleanest path to a win.

Detroit kept putting men on base, and Washington kept finding a way out

The Tigers will look at the line score and see opportunity everywhere. They matched Washington with seven hits, drew six walks, added a hit batter and forced the Nationals’ pitchers to work through 168 pitches. Detroit put traffic on base in volume. What it could not do was convert that traffic into anything more than one run.

That lone breakthrough came in the sixth inning, when Ben Malgeri scored on one of Jackson Kent’s wild pitches and Max Clark moved to second. It tied the game at 1-1 and briefly suggested that Detroit’s patience might finally turn the night. Clark finished with two hits, Kevin McGonigle added two more, Hao-Yu Lee reached three times with a hit and two walks, and Spencer Torkelson contributed three walks without an official at-bat. For long stretches, Detroit gave itself chances.

But the Tigers’ box score also explains why the comeback never arrived. Detroit struck out 11 times, grounded into two double plays and stranded 18 runners. That is an enormous amount of base traffic for a one-run return. Washington’s pitching was not flawless — six walks and two wild pitches made sure of that — yet it was resilient enough. Riley Cornelio worked 2 2/3 scoreless innings despite three walks. Kent absorbed the middle of the game, allowed the Tigers’ only run and limited the damage to that single inning. Jack Sinclair then gave Washington 1 1/3 scoreless frames, and Erik Tolman closed the door with three strikeouts in the ninth despite a walk.

Our take: Detroit wasted the busier night, Washington won the cleaner one

Our take: this was the kind of game that reminds you raw traffic is not the same thing as production. Detroit did more to extend at-bats and force pitches; Washington did more to punish mistakes. The Tigers saw 168 pitches to the Nationals’ 108 and still lost by two runs because their best offensive moments never became a defining hit. Two doubles, no home runs and 18 runners left on base is not a recipe that usually survives against any opponent, even one that hands out six walks.

If Detroit is searching for one practical lesson from this 3-1 loss, it is not that the approach was wrong. Drawing six walks and getting men aboard consistently is useful work. The missing piece was the hit that changed the inning, especially after the game was tied in the sixth. A club that reaches that often should not have zero RBIs at the end of the night, and the two grounding-into-double-play outs show how quickly promising innings can collapse when the next ball in play does not advance the threat.

Washington, meanwhile, should leave pleased with the result but not blind to the warning signs. The Nationals got all the offense they needed from Abrams, yet they also left nine men on base and never added a run without the home ball. On the mound, the 11 strikeouts were excellent, but six walks and two wild pitches nearly let Detroit’s volume take over the game. Even so, the Nationals earned this one honestly: a star performance from Abrams, enough secondary pitching to escape repeated jams, and just enough calm after the sixth inning to keep the Tigers from turning pressure into points.

Scoring moments

1. 2nd Inning

   Abrams homered to right center (418 feet).

2. 6th Inning

   Malgeri scored on Kent wild pitch, Clark to second on wild pitch by Kent.

3. 6th Inning

   Malgeri scored on Kent wild pitch, Clark to second.

4. 7th Inning

   Abrams homered to right (404 feet), Crews scored.