WASHINGTON (AP) – Trea Turner homered off Alex Colome in the ninth inning, and the Washington Nationals beat the Chicago White Sox 6-4 Wednesday to extend a winning streak to four for the first time since early September.
Washington led 4-1 in the eighth before another meltdown by a bullpen that has a 6.68 ERA – no other team is above 6.00.
Leury Garcia singled with one out in the eighth off Kyle Barraclough, and Yoan Moncada hit a drive that Juan Soto caught with a leap at the left-field wall.
Jose Abreu followed with his 16th homer, Wander Suero relieved and Welington Castillo homered on his first pitch. Washington’s 12th blown save tied Pittsburgh for second-most behind the New York Mets’ 14.
Colome (2-1) entered in the bottom of the ninth and walked Brian Dozier on four pitches. He fell behind Turner 2-0, and Turner drove a high full-count fastball into the left-field bullpen for his third game-ending home run, his second this season.
Sean Doolittle (4-1) pitched out of two-on, one-out trouble in the ninth, striking out Garcia and Moncada.
Chicago has lost three of four following a season-high five-game winning streak.
Washington starter Anibal Sanchez struck out seven in 5 1/3 innings, allowing four hits that included Moncada’s sixth-inning homer. Chicago’s Dylan Covey gave up two runs and seven hits in five innings.
Kurt Suzuki had an RBI single in the second and hit into a run-scoring forceout in the fourth. Victor Robles had a sacrifice fly in the sixth off Evan Marshall, and another run scored when shortstop Tim Anderson dropped Gerardo Parra’s popup in short center field for an error.
Anthony Rendon walked in the fifth to extend his on-base streak to 21 games. The third baseman caught Yolmer Sanchez’s one-out liner with the bases loaded in the third, then stepped on the base for an inning-ending double play.
