Ryan McMahon draws bases-loaded walk on pitch-clock violation, Rockies beat Nationals 8-7

DENVER (AP) — Ryan McMahon drew a bases-loaded walk on a full-count, pitch-clock violation by Kyle Finnegan, and the Colorado Rockies scored two runs in the ninth inning for an 8-7 victory over the Washington Nationals on Saturday night.

It was the first game decided by a pitch-clock violation in major league history. Nationals closer Finnegan leads the league with nine pitch-clock violations this season.

“I’m just trying to focus on the pitch and then location,” Finnegan said. “I thought I picked up the clock. I guess by the time I picked up and looked at the catcher and delivered the pitch, I was just a hair too late. Those situations, it just can’t happen. We deserved to win and I wasn't able to do my job."

Colorado had four straight singles to open the ninth off Finnegan (2-4) to bring up McMahon, who fell behind 0-2. Hunter Goodman and Jake Cave singled to open the inning, and Brenton Doyle singled to tie it after fouling off two bunt attempts. Ezequiel Tovar hit a line single to right to load the bases. Finnegan had converted 21 of his previous 23 save chances.

“You hate to see a game decided that way, but I’m happy it worked out in our favor,” McMahon said. “I'm never looking (at the clock). I'm letting the umpire do his job. I didn't know what was going on until the umpire said something.”

The pitch clock was adopted in 2023, but the time between pitches with runners on base was shortened from 20 seconds to 18 this season.

“Kyle has had some trouble lately with the clock," Washington manager Dave Martinez said. "It hadn’t really cost him to that point, but it’s something that we’ve kind of felt like might come back to haunt him at some point. He could have stepped off, but it’s a tough situation.

“That’s something that he has to be mindful of. He’s just slow. So it burned him today. Typically it hasn’t burned him.”

Luis Garcia hit a two-run homer to give Washington a 7-5 lead in the eighth inning and CJ Abrams had three his including his 12th home run. The Nationals had won 10 of 13.

Abrams finished a triple short of the cycle while extending his hitting streak to 13 games. He had two RBIs and scored twice.

Brendan Rodgers, Goodman and McMahon homered for the Rockies, who tied it on Goodman’s homer in the seventh off Jacob Barnes. Goodman has five homers in the last eight games. McMahon had three hits, and his bases-empty homer in the eighth inning brought the Rockies within a run at 7-6.

“The Rockies and the Nationals are part of history,” Colorado manager Bud Black said. “How about that?”

Ezequiel Tovar singled, and walked and scored twice. He scored on catcher Jacob Stallings’ single in the first inning and on Rodgers’ three-run homer for a 4-2 lead in the third. Rodgers played his first game since June 7, when he suffered a hamstring injury. He hit cleanup for the eighth time this season.

Abrams and Lane Thomas singled in runs for a 5-4 lead in the seventh inning, but the Nationals ran themselves out of more when Abrams and Thomas were thrown out attempting to steal second. Thomas had two hits.

The Nationals are third in the majors with 104 stolen bases but have been thrown out a major league-high 38 times. Stallings threw out three of four Nationals’ runners attempting to steal, all at second.

“Getting thrown out is not going to stop us from being aggressive on the base paths,” Abrams said. “We're going to keep doing what we are doing.”

Nationals starter Mitchell Parker gave up four runs and six hits while striking out eight, including the final five he faced. He had not given up more than three earned runs in any of his previous 12 starts.

Colorado starter Cal Quantrill gave up three runs and seven hits in six innings for his ninth quality start. He left with a 4-3 lead.

Washington left fielder Jesse Winkler was ejected by home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt after taking a called third strike for the second out in the fifth inning. Winkler briefly argued with Wendelstedt at the plate, and he was ejected after going into the dugout, his sixth career ejection.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rockies: RHP Jake Bird (groin tightness) was removed from the game after facing three batters in he seventh inning. … RF Sean Bouchard (back soreness) was replaced after three innings. … RHP German Marquez (Tommy John surgery) gave up one hit in four scoreless innings in a rehab start for Class A Spokane on Saturday. He struck out three, walked two and threw 50 pitches.

UP NEXT

Colorado LHP Kyle Freeland (0-3, 13.21 ERA) is expected to be activated from the injured list to make his fifth start Sunday, his first since April 14, after missing nine weeks a left elbow strain. He will oppose Nationals RHP Jake Irvin (5-6, 3.24).

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Colorado Rockies' Ryan McMahon (24) and Nolan Jones celebrate the team's win against the Washington Nationals in a baseball game Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Geneva Heffernan)

Colorado Rockies' Ryan McMahon heads to first on a bases-loaded walk, driving in Jake Cave, right rear, with the winning run against the Washington Nationals in a baseball game Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Geneva Heffernan)

Washington Nationals third baseman Nick Senzel pulls in a pop foul by Colorado Rockies' Ryan McMahon to end the baseball game Friday, June 21, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Rockies' Ryan McMahon, front, and Nolan Jones celebrate the team's win against the Washington Nationals in a baseball game Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Geneva Heffernan)

Colorado Rockies' Ryan McMahon tosses his bat after earning a bases-loaded walk to score the winning run against the Washington Nationals in a baseball game Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Geneva Heffernan)

Colorado Rockies' Ryan McMahon celebrates after he was walked with the bases loaded to give the Rockies a win against the Washington Nationals in a baseball game Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Geneva Heffernan)

Washington Nationals first base coach Gerardo Parra and CJ Abrams celebrate Abrams' RBI single against the Colorado Rockies durinng the seventh inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Geneva Heffernan)

Washington Nationals' Luis García Jr. watches his two-run home run against the Colorado Rockies during the eighth inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Geneva Heffernan)

Washington Nationals' Luis García Jr. celebrates his two-run home run against the Colorado Rockies during the eighth inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Geneva Heffernan)

Washington Nationals' Jacob Young singles on a bunt against the Colorado Rockies during the seventh inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Geneva Heffernan)

Washington Nationals' Lane Thomas watches his RBI single against the Colorado Rockies during the seventh inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Geneva Heffernan)

Washington Nationals first baseman Joey Meneses, left, and Luis García Jr. celebrate a two-run home run by García against the Colorado Rockies during the eighth inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Geneva Heffernan)

Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black, left, pulls relief pitcher Justin Lawrence (61) during the eighth inning of the team's baseball game against the Washington Nationals on Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Geneva Heffernan)

Colorado Rockies' Hunter Goodman watches his solo home run against the Washington Nationals during the seventh inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Geneva Heffernan)

Colorado Rockies' Hunter Goodman celebrates his solo home run against the Washington Nationals during the seventh inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Geneva Heffernan)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan group of six senators on Sunday called for President Donald Trump's administration to “immediately reverse course” on a plan to purchase diesel from Russia as part of an effort to lower high fuel prices.

Trump shocked lawmakers when he announced on social media Friday that he struck a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call. He said Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to the American and global market, followed by an additional 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons “immediately thereafter.” Russia will deliver an additional 3 million tons “within a short period of time” after that, he wrote.

Four Republican senators and two Democratic senators signed onto the statement released Sunday in protesting the deal. They said the administration failed to consult with Congress or submit any explanation to justify its decision as required by statute.

“The United States should not provide Putin with a financial lifeline while Russia continues to kill Ukrainian civilians. The Administration must immediately reverse course," they wrote.

The Republican senators who signed onto the statement are Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and John Curtis of Utah. The Democratic senators are Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.

Tillis, in an interview that aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” said there's a legitimate case for saying the president is not following the law if the administration goes through with its diesel purchase plan.

“We were very clear that Russia is the aggressor. Russia is the one who can end this war by backing out of territory that they occupied,” Tillis said.

Trump's announcement came just a few weeks after Congress passed legislation that directed Trump to impose substantial tariffs on the top importers of Russian oil or natural gas, with an exception for countries that import less than 15% of Russia’s natural gas exports and have taken significant steps to reduce those imports.

The congressional effort was aimed at cutting the flow of money Russia receives from oil and gas sales to finance its war against Ukraine.

The lawmakers also noted that Congress explicitly banned Russia energy imports in 2022 to prevent the United States from financing the war.

“Congress was clear: the U.S. should not import oil from Russia until it ends its aggression against Ukraine and ceases threats against our NATO Allies,” the six lawmakers wrote in their statement. “President Trump’s decision to allow Russian diesel imports to the U.S. runs directly counter to that law."

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said Trump is focused on reducing the cost of energy when asked whether the president's action would be in violation of U.S. law.

“The president is balancing and has to make tough decisions,” Barrasso said on CBS's “Face the Nation.”

He also encouraged Trump to enforce the sanctions law that Congress passed last month.

“This is just another point of leverage for the president to use against Putin in an effort to get a long-term solution in that part of the world,” Barrasso said.

Trump has recently sought to blame record U.S. diesel prices on Ukraine rather than the U.S.-led war in Iran, which has elevated world energy prices.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., asks former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith questions at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he arrives on Air Force One, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)