Washington seized control early and never let go, defeating Arizona 6-1 at Chase Field. The Nationals scored twice in the first inning and added insurance runs late to secure their second straight victory.
Zack Littell earned the win with five innings of work, allowing one run on two hits while striking out four. The right-hander improved to 6-4 with a 4.76 ERA. Brad Lord closed out the game with two scoreless innings for his first save of the season.
Curtis Mead opened the scoring with a two-run homer to left center in the first inning, driving in James Wood to give Washington a 2-0 lead. Dylan Crews added a solo shot in the seventh inning, then scored on Nasim Nuñez's sacrifice bunt later in the frame. The Nationals capped their scoring with two runs in the ninth, as Nuñez singled home Crews and Keibert Ruiz drove in Daylen Lile with a fielder's choice.
Eduardo Rodriguez took the loss for Arizona, allowing four runs over 6.1 innings despite striking out five. The veteran left-hander fell to 5-2 and sits one win away from his 100th career victory. The Diamondbacks managed just two hits and scored their lone run in the fifth when Pavin Smith came home on a single by Groover that was aided by a fielding error.
Washington improved to 32-32 and snapped a losing streak. Arizona dropped to 33-30 with the loss.