Ben Rice, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jasson Dominguez each homered Monday night while Cam Schlittler fired six scoreless innings as the New York Yankees defeated the visiting Washington Nationals 10-5.
Schlittler (2-2) allowed four hits and walked three while striking out eight in a 96-pitch effort. Two relievers finished up as New York took a one-game lead on Seattle for the American League’s second wild-card spot, pending the outcome of the Mariners’ game with San Diego.
Brad Lord (4-7) absorbed the loss after yielding eight hits and seven runs, six earned, in 4 1/3 innings with two walks and five punch-outs. Lord kept his team close until the Yankees blew it open with a five-run fifth inning.
Jose Caballero and Trent Grisham singled to start the inning. After Rice’s flyout moved Caballero to third, Aaron Judge doubled to right, scoring Caballero. Cody Bellinger contributed a two-run single and Chisholm knocked out Lord with a two-run homer into the second deck in right, his career-high 25th.
Dominguez tacked on a three-run homer to right in the seventh, his 10th. New York finished with 12 hits, getting at least one from every starter.
Lord put himself in a 1-0 hole in the first when two walks and a passed ball teed up Bellinger for a sacrifice fly. Rice made it 2-0 in the third when he rocketed his 21st homer, a blast measured at 435 feet, to right-center.
Washington had a couple of chances prior to the Yankees’ fifth but hurt itself with poor baserunning. Jacob Young coaxed a one-out walk in the third but got picked off with James Wood batting, quashing the rally.
Singles by CJ Abrams and Josh Bell in the fourth got men to first and third. But Riley Adams popped up and Bell was caught stealing second with Paul DeJong hitting, ending the inning.
Schlittler gave up a single and walk to start the sixth, prompting a mound visit from pitching coach Matt Blake. With action in the bullpen, Schlittler pitched himself out of trouble with a strikeout and 4-6-3 double play ball.
The Nationals avoided a shutout in the ninth with a two-out bases-loaded walk to Robert Hassell III and Young’s first homer of the season, a grand slam.
