WASHINGTON (AP) — James Wood homered, tripled and scored four runs, and the Washington Nationals erased a quick four-run deficit to beat the San Francisco Giants 11-5 on Tuesday night.
Wood also walked twice and stole two bases for the Nationals, who have won three of four after losing five straight.
CJ Abrams hit a three-run homer and Keibert Ruiz had three hits including a solo shot for Washington, which finished with 15 hits. Alex Call added a pair of RBI doubles and a walk.
“We went from real gloomy to boom,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “What they did was play hard for 27 outs. They really did. They started working good at-bats and they started driving the ball.”
MacKenzie Gore (7-9) continued his recent struggles but navigated through five innings for his first win since June 14, allowing five runs on eight hits. He walked two and struck out six. Over his last nine starts, Gore is 1-4 with a 7.24 ERA.
Three Washington relievers combined to pitch four scoreless innings of one-hit ball to close it out.
Michael Conforto had a three-run homer, double and a walk for the Giants (57-58), who were looking to climb above .500 for the first time since they ended play on May 29 with a 29-28 record.
San Francisco rookie Hayden Birdsong (3-1) was staked to the early lead but couldn't hold it. He was lifted after two-plus innings, allowing seven runs on five hits — two of them home runs. He walked three batters, all of whom scored.
“Today he just really didn’t have command of anything early on,” manager Bob Melvin said. "And they were putting some good swings on him, putting a lot of pressure on him. Never really had kind of a break out there. But not his best.”
Heliot Ramos homered to make it 1-0 with one out in the top of the first. Gore walked Matt Chapman with two outs and hit Mark Canha before Conforto lined a three-run homer to right center.
Wood tripled to ignite a five-run second inning capped by Abrams' three-run drive off Birdsong on a shoulder-high fastball.
“I have no idea how he hit that ball," Birdsong said. "Good for him. That guy can hit. And they can hit fastballs. … I knew that going in. Not very many people are probably hitting that ball. It was impressive.”
And Abrams reaction?
“I was confused about why I swung,” he said. “But I was happy I did.”
Ruiz homered leading off the third inning to make it 6-4 and later in the inning Call doubled off reliever Randy Rodriguez to score Wood with Washington's seventh run.
Wood capped his night with a two-run homer in the eighth as Washington outscored San Francisco 11-1 after the first inning.
“I think just knowing that we’re able to string together some hits and get guys on base,” Wood said of the team's mindset during the comeback. “At that point, it just takes a big swing to get us right back into it.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Giants: CF Ramos returned after missing the past two games with a jammed right thumb. … Manager Bob Melvin said INF Wilmer Flores (right knee tendinitis) will be out the rest of the season after having a Tenex procedure on his knee on Tuesday.
UP NEXT
San Francisco LHP Blake Snell (1-3, 4.29), who pitched a no-hitter against the Reds last time out, opposes RHP Jake Irvin (8-9, 3.56) on Wednesday.
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Washington Nationals' James Wood, right, steals second base against San Francisco Giants second baseman Casey Schmitt, left, during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
San Francisco Giants center fielder Heliot Ramos misses a ball that went for a double by Washington Nationals' Alex Call during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Nationals' Alex Call gestures as he stands on second base with a double during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Nationals' James Wood runs towards third with a triple during the second inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
A key employee who labeled an experimental submersible unsafe prior to its last, fatal voyage began his testimony Tuesday before U.S. Coast Guard investigators.
David Lochridge is one of the most anticipated witnesses to appear before a commission trying to determine what caused the Titan to implode en route to the wreckage of the Titanic last year, killing all five on board.
Lochridge is former operations director for OceanGate, the company that owned the Titan and brought it on several dives to the Titanic going back to 2021. He claimed several years ago that he was fired for raising safety concerns.
His testimony began a day after other witnesses painted a picture of a troubled company that was impatient to get its unconventionally designed craft into the water. The accident set off a worldwide debate about the future of private undersea exploration.
Among those killed was Stockton Rush, co-founder of OceanGate. The company, based in Washington state, suspended its operations after the implosion.
OceanGate's former engineering director, Tony Nissen, kicked off Monday's testimony, telling investigators that he felt pressured to get the vessel ready to dive and refused to pilot it for a journey several years before Titan's last trip.
“‘I’m not getting in it,’” Nissen said he told Rush.
When asked if there was pressure to get Titan into the water, Nissen responded, “100%.”
But asked if he felt that the pressure compromised safety decisions and testing, Nissen paused, then replied, “No. And that’s a difficult question to answer, because given infinite time and infinite budget, you could do infinite testing.”
OceanGate's former finance and human resources director, Bonnie Carl, testified Monday that Lochridge had characterized the Titan as “unsafe.” Lochridge is expected to provide more perspective on what caused the implosion.
Coast Guard officials noted at the start of the hearing that the submersible had not been independently reviewed, as is standard practice. That and Titan's unusual design subjected it to scrutiny in the undersea exploration community.
During the submersible's final dive on June 18, 2023, the crew lost contact after an exchange of texts about the Titan's depth and weight as it descended. The support ship Polar Prince then sent repeated messages asking if the Titan could still see the ship on its onboard display.
One of the last messages from Titan’s crew to Polar Prince before the submersible imploded stated, “all good here,” according to a visual re-creation presented earlier in the hearing.
When the submersible was reported overdue, rescuers rushed ships, planes and other equipment to an area about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland. Wreckage of the Titan was subsequently found on the ocean floor about 330 yards (300 meters) off the bow of the Titanic, Coast Guard officials said.
Scheduled to appear later in the hearing are OceanGate co-founder Guillermo Sohnlein and former scientific director, Steven Ross, according to a list compiled by the Coast Guard. Numerous guard officials, scientists, and government and industry officials are also expected to testify. The U.S. Coast Guard subpoenaed witnesses who were not government employees, said Coast Guard spokesperson Melissa Leake.
Among those not on the hearing witness list is Rush’s widow, Wendy Rush, the company’s communications director. Asked about her absence, Leake said the Coast Guard does not comment on the reasons for not calling specific individuals to a particular hearing during ongoing investigations. She said it’s common for a Marine Board of Investigation to “hold multiple hearing sessions or conduct additional witness depositions for complex cases.”
OceanGate has no full-time employees at this time but will be represented by an attorney during the hearing, the company said in a statement. The company said it has been fully cooperating with the Coast Guard and NTSB investigations since they began.
The time frame for the investigation was initially a year, but the inquiry has taken longer. The ongoing Marine Board of Investigation is the highest level of marine casualty investigation conducted by the Coast Guard. When the hearing concludes, recommendations will be submitted to the Coast Guard’s commandant. The National Transportation Safety Board is also conducting an investigation.
Coast Guard's Thomas Whalen, left, speaks with Nicole Emmons, right, during a break for the Titan marine board formal hearing inside the Charleston County Council Chambers, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)
Coast Guard's Thomas Whalen speaks with another Coast Guard member during a break for the Titan marine board formal hearing inside the Charleston County Council Chambers, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)
Jason Neubauer, board chairman, of the investigative board for the Titan marine board formal hearing pauses for a moment of silence inside the Charleston County Council Chambers Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)
Coast Guard members of the investigative board for the Titan marine board formal hearing pause for a moment of silence inside the Charleston County Council Chambers Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)
Coast Guard members of the investigative board for the Titan marine board formal hearing take an oath inside the Charleston County Council Chambers Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)
A key employee who called the Titan unsafe will testify before the Coast Guard
FILE - This undated image provided by OceanGate Expeditions in June 2021 shows the company's Titan submersible. (OceanGate Expeditions via AP, File)
A key employee who called the Titan unsafe will testify before the Coast Guard
