Stone Garrett homers in return to majors as Nationals rout Phillies, 9-1

WASHINGTON (AP) — Stone Garrett homered in his first major league plate appearance in more than a year in a three-hit, three-RBI effort and the Washington Nationals ended a four-game losing streak with a 9-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night.

Luis García Jr., Juan Yepez and Jacob Young each had three hits and Keibert Ruiz drove in three for Washington, which beat Philadelphia for only the third time in 11 meetings this season. It was the most runs the Nationals have scored in a game since scoring nine at Baltimore on Aug. 13.

Washington’s Trevor Williams (6-1) struck out five in five shutout innings and allowed three hits and two walks as he lowered his ERA to 2.03 over 13 starts.

Ranger Suárez (12-8) closed his regular season by allowing six runs in two innings for Philadelphia, which has already clinched the NL East and a playoff bye.

“He wasn’t the only one who was rough tonight,” Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson said. “It wasn’t vintage Phillie baseball, that’s for sure.”

The Phillies fell two games the behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for the top seed in the National League. The Dodgers beat Colorado 11-4 on Friday night.

The 28-year-old Garrett hadn’t played in the majors since breaking his left leg while trying to rob the New York Yankees’ DJ LeMahieu of a home run on Aug. 23, 2023. He was recalled from Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday and didn’t play in three games against Kansas City before serving as the designated hitter against the left-handed Suárez.

With Washington already up 1-0 on Yepez’s RBI single, Garrett ripped a 72 mph curveball 431 feet into the left-field seats that brought in Yepez. Garrett yelled as he approached first base as part of a gleeful trip around the bases.

“It was all released before I touched first base,” Garrett said. “I don’t even know the word to describe it, but rounding the bases, I blacked out. You’re rehabbing, trying to get back to where I was before I got injured, just being able to compete at the level I knew I could compete at. It was pent-up emotions.”

Suárez also gave up Young’s RBI single while throwing 42 pitches in the first inning. Ruiz added a two-run single in the second.

Suárez, who earned his first All-Star appearance this year, is 2-3 with a 5.74 ERA in seven starts since returning from a back injury Aug. 24.

“I’m not concerned about his health, but the stuff was down tonight,” Thomson said. “I think everyone saw that. I think the last two years, the final start of his season wasn’t very good, kind of similar to this. Maybe he needs a little bit of time off, which he’ll get, and then pick it up with adrenaline in the playoffs.”

Garrett made it 7-0 with a run-scoring single off Tyler Gilbert in the fourth. He also doubled off José Ruiz to lead off the seventh.

“I’m so happy for him,” Washington manager Dave Martinez said. “He worked really hard to get back. For him to go out there and do what he did today was amazing.”

Philadelphia’s Austin Hays homered off Tanner Rainey in the eighth.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Nationals: Washington recalled RHP Jackson Rutledge from and optioned LHP DJ Herz to the team’s Florida Complex League affiliate.

Philadelphia RHP Zack Wheeler (16-7, 2.56 ERA), who is 2-0 with a 2.03 ERA in two starts against Washington this season, faces Nationals LHP MacKenzie Gore (10-12, 4.04) on Saturday.

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