Nationals hang on to a 7-6 win against Reds; recap: 8/12/19

The Washington Nationals beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-6 in another close game that, once again, got too close for comfort towards the end. After giving up a leadoff home run to Jesse Winker and a second inning RBI double to Jose Iglesias, Erick Fedde settled down and threw six great innings that ended with giving up six hits, two runs, and two walks as well as four strikeouts. The bullpen had performed somewhat decently with Javy Guerra having a decent outing but Tanner Rainey and Sean Doolittle giving up two runs each to give the Nationals a one-run lead. Thankfully, Doolittle came through and earned his 27th save, despite the rocky outing.

Despite the unexpectedly rocky ending to the game, fans had one big reason to still cheer: Howie Kendrick returned from the injured list and appeared to pinch hit for Fedde in the seventh inning. Kendrick's first night back ended in a double. As a result of his return, Andrew Stevenson was sent down to Double-A Harrisburg.

In the first inning, Matt Adams hit a two-run home run that had to be reviewed and upheld by an umpire, and then Gerardo Parra hit an RBI single to score Asdrubal Cabrera. In the fourth inning, Trea Turner hit a two-run home run, and in the seventh, Turner hit an RBI single to score Howie Kendrick.

Tomorrow, Joe Ross is expected to start against Alex Wood, whom many remember from his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET.