Nationals snap Cincinnati ace Chase Burns’ 12-game winning streak, beating Reds 8-2

WASHINGTON (AP) — Andrés Chaparro drove in three runs and the Washington Nationals snapped Cincinnati ace Chase Burns’ 12-game winning streak, beating the Reds 8-2 on Saturday night.

Rookie Abimelec Ortiz drove in two for Washington. The Nationals have won three of four after dropping a season-worst seven in a row.

Eugenio Suárez homered for Cincinnati as the Reds dropped consecutive games for the first time since July 11-12.

Washington took a 3-2 lead when Dylan Crews opened the sixth with a double and scored on Daylen Lile’s double. Burns (13-2) then loaded the bases before yielding to Sam Moll, who was greeted by Chaparro’s pinch double. Chaparro advanced on a wild pitch and scored when Jacob Young singled.

Burns, who built the fifth-longest winning streak in club history, lost for the first time since April 10. He allowed five runs in 5 1/3 innings while striking out six.

Chaparro and CJ Abrams added RBI singles in the eighth.

Clayton Beeter (5-3) worked a scoreless eighth for Washington.

José Tena led off the third with a single to center, then moved up two batters later when Abrams slapped a first-pitch slider down the right-field line for a double. Both scored when Ortiz poked Burns’ 0-2 fastball the opposite way to left.

Nationals starter Andrew Alvarez surrendered a run on three hits and a walk in 5 1/3 innings, and was pulled after Sal Stewart’s infield single dribbled off third base. Max Kranick relieved him, and two batters later Suárez ripped a fastball into the visitor’s bullpen in left.

Alvarez has not allowed a home run in his last 51 1/3 innings, the franchise’s seventh-longest streak since moving to Washington in 2005.

Cincinnati RHP Brady Singer (5-10, 4.67 ERA) was set to start Sunday in the series finale. RHP Brad Lord (5-2, 3.81) was scheduled open a bullpen game for Washington.

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Cincinnati Reds pitcher Chase Burns throws during the third inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Nationals pitcher Andrew Alvarez throws during the second inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Nationals second baseman Nasim Nunez throws to first base but cannot get Cincinnati Reds' Noelvi Marte during the second inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Nationals pitcher Andrew Alvarez throws during the third inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Nationals' CJ Abrams dives towards second base for a double during the third inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Two helicopter pilots who crashed while they were fighting a wildfire in Utah are dead, officials confirmed Saturday.

The pilots were killed when their Sikorsky Skycrane helicopter went down Friday morning, according to the Sevier County Sheriff.

The helicopter was among those fighting a fire in the Fishlake National Forest. The crash ignited a new fire that spread to connect with the existing blaze, which has now scorched nearly 174 square miles (nearly 451 square kilometers).

Officials did not identify the pilots but said they were employed by Helicopter Transport Services, which was contracted by the U.S. Forest Service.

Initially officials said they were unable to reach the crash site because of the fire. Then, on Saturday, crews were able to enter the area and confirmed the deaths, according to the Sevier County sheriff and coroner.

The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate once its team can examine the wreckage. It will likely take the NTSB a year or more to determine the cause.

Numerous fires also were burning in other parts of the West, including one that closed part of Mount Rainier National Park in Washington.

The National Park Service shut down access to the Sunrise and White River areas of the park after a new wildfire burned less than a third of a square mile (less than a square kilometer). Firefighters were working to gain control of it.

Larger fires near Spokane, Washington, have now burned more than 15.63 square miles (over 40 square kilometers), but firefighters constructed more than 75 miles (over 120 kilometers) of containment line to help control those flames.

Meanwhile in Oregon, hot and dry conditions helped an uncontrolled fire spread beyond 30 square miles (77.7 square kilometers).

Firefighters were still trying to identify the best places to set up containment lines around the Wrights Spring fire as they mourned the death of 47-year-old Jason Ensign, who was killed while operating a bulldozer for a timber company. The blaze grew rapidly Thursday and cut off Ensign’s escape route.

And north of the border in British Columbia, more than 20,000 people had to evacuate ahead of another fast-moving wildfire.

A Sikorsky Skycrane approaches to refill during efforts to fight the Widemouth 2 Fire east of Fillmore, Utah, on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, before it crashed on Friday, Aug. 7. (Scott G Winterton/The Deseret News via AP)

A Sikorsky Skycrane rises after refilling during efforts to fight the Widemouth 2 Fire east of Fillmore, Utah, on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, before it crashed on Friday, Aug. 7. (Scott G Winterton/The Deseret News via AP)

A Sikorsky Skycrane maneuvers into position to refill during efforts to fight the Widemouth 2 Fire east of Fillmore, Utah, on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, before it crashed on Friday, Aug. 7. (Scott G Winterton/The Deseret News via AP)

This undated photo provided by the U.S. Forest Service on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, shows the Widemouth 2 wildfire burning near Richfield, Utah. (U.S. Forest Service/Fishlake National Forest via AP)