WASHINGTON — The Washington Nationals had no intention of playing 14 innings without celebrating a victory.
Ben Revere doubled in the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the 14th, and the Nationals outlasted the Cincinnati Reds 3-2 on Friday night for their sixth straight victory.
Ten pitchers participated in the game, which lasted 4 hours, 30 minutes.
"If you play that long you might as well win," Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. "It is a big downer when you lose a game like that. We finally got the hit we needed. The guys are pretty well spent. It sure feels a lot better when you hear that music in the clubhouse."
Revere’s liner off the wall in right-centre against Ross Ohlendorf (5-6) scored Danny Espinosa, who was hit by a pitch to start the inning.
Revere was happy to contribute his first game-winning hit in the majors, but insisted he would have been delighted if a teammate did it.
"When you go into extras," he said, "you don’t care who wins it, as long as your team wins."
Yusmeiro Petit (3-1), the sixth Washington pitcher, worked two innings for the win.
The last-place Reds have lost five straight and nine of 10. Cincinnati stayed with the NL East leaders for inning after inning, but simply couldn’t come up with the big hit.
Manager Bryan Price lamented, "That’s why we have a record like this. We could use a win and a well-played game."
Bryce Harper had two singles for Washington, but one of them probably should have been at least a double. Leading off the fourth, the reigning NL MVP hit a liner that appeared headed for the seats but instead struck the top of the wall in centre field. Harper admired the drive too long, and was barely past first base by the time the ball was returned to the infield.
Nationals starter Tanner Roark allowed two runs and eight hits over seven innings. He struck out four and walked two.
Cincinnati’s Anthony DeSclafani gave up two runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings, striking out eight.
DeSclafani left after Washington put runners on the corners with two outs in the seventh and the scored tied at 2. Raisel Iglesias entered and retired Jayson Werth on a hard-hit grounder.
DeSclafani, who began the season on the disabled list with a strained left oblique, is 2-0 with a 1.78 ERA in five starts since his return on June 10.
Two singles and a sacrifice fly by Daniel Murphy put Washington up 1-0 in the first and ended DeSclafani’s scoreless streak at 13 innings.
Tucker Barnhart tied it for the Reds with an RBI single in the second.
Cincinnati went up 2-1 in the sixth on a run-scoring single by Adam Duvall, but a two-out double by Murphy tied it in the bottom half.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Reds: RHP Homer Bailey (elbow surgery) is scheduled to make his second rehab appearance with Triple-A Louisville on Saturday. He pitched an inning on Monday. … RHP Caleb Cotham (shoulder) began his rehab stint by facing four batters on Thursday with Double-A Pensacola. He gave up two hits, a walk and three runs.
Nationals: RHP Stephen Strasburg (back, ribs) could be close to coming off the DL. Baker said Strasburg threw on the side on Thursday and "he told me he felt good. How do you keep a guy on the shelf if he tells you he feels good?" Baker added: "Each time he doesn’t go out there, he’s getting farther and farther behind on his endurance and on his sharpness."
UP NEXT
Reds: RHP Dan Straily (4-5, 4.38 ERA) faces Washington for the second time this season Saturday night. He allowed two hits in seven innings on June 4 but received no decision.
Nationals: RHP Joe Ross (7-4, 3.30) faces the Reds for the first time. Ross is 4-0 in seven starts since May 21.
