CINCINNATI — Joan Adon retired his first 17 batters and the Washington Nationals beat the sloppy Cincinnati Reds 7-3 on Saturday, handing them their fifth consecutive defeat.
Lane Thomas knocked in two runs and scored twice to help the last-place Nationals match a season-best with their third straight win.
The 24-year-old Adon (1-0), in his second stint with Washington this season and making his first major league start since July 7, 2022, was working on a perfect game with two outs in the sixth inning when No. 9 batter Luke Maile lined a clean single to right field.
Elly De La Cruz followed with an infield single and TJ Friedl hit a three-run homer into the right-field seats to make it 6-3.
Adon was recalled from Triple-A Rochester before the game when Mason Thompson went on the 15-day injured list with a bruised left knee. The right-hander allowed three runs and three hits in six innings. He struck out seven and walked none.
Andrés Machado, Jordan Weems and Kyle Finnegan each worked an inning to finish the four-hitter.
The second-place Reds (59-54) committed four errors for the second time in four games, including two by De La Cruz at shortstop on one play.
Thomas, who homered twice Friday night as Washington won 6-3 in 10 innings, had two hits. Keibert Ruiz added two doubles for the Nationals (48-63).
The game drew a crowd of 41,059 for Cincinnati’s ninth sellout of the season - the team’s most since 16 in 2013.
Rookie left-hander Andrew Abbott, who lasted a season-low 3 1/3 innings in his previous start, needed 42 pitches to get through two innings. He finished with 105 in 5 2/3 innings.
Abbott (6-3) set a season-high with five walks while allowing nine hits and six runs with three strikeouts.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Reds OF Jake Fraley was placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Friday, with a stress fracture in the fourth toe on his left foot. The team recalled outfielder TJ Hopkins from Triple-A Louisville.
UP NEXT
Nationals RHP Jake Irvin (3-5) is scheduled to start Sunday afternoon’s series finale. Cincinnati had not announced a starter.
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