WASHINGTON (AP) — Patrick Corbin ended a 10-start winless streak, allowing three runs over 6 1/3 innings to lead the Washington Nationals over the Colorado Rockies 7-3 on Thursday night.
Corbin (1-7) has not won since last Sept. 23 at Cincinnati in his next-to-last start of the season. He gave up seven hits, struck out three and walked two, lowering his ERA from 6.60 to 6.30.
“It’s always good to get a win. It stinks it’s this late. I’ve been throwing pretty well,” Corbin said. “Sometimes it doesn’t matter how you pitch if their guy’s out there throwing really well. Obviously it’s good. I’m glad it’s behind us.”
César Hernández had a single, double, walk and scored twice for Washington, which took a 4-0 first-inning lead and improved to 7-17 at Nationals Park. Dee Strange-Gordan added a triple and a single.
Yonathan Daza and Elias Díaz each had two hits for Colorado, which has lost four of five. The Rockies went 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position and hit into three double plays, dropping to 6-13 on the road. They are 14-11 at Coors Field.
Germán Márquez (1-5) gave up five runs and six hits in six innings, the sixth time in nine starts that Marquez allowed at least four earned runs.
Nelson Cruz’s RBI single, Josh Bell’s run-scoring double off the center-field fence, and Yadiel Hernández’s two-run double built the first-inning lead.
“The first inning was rough. It looked to me as though the pitches were sort of in the middle of the plate,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “Behind in the count and pitches in the middle against a group of hitters who are pretty good.”
Corbin induced a double-play grounder from Diaz with two on and one out in the second inning. Trailing 5-3, the Rockies loaded the bases with one out in the fifth, but Corbin got C.J. Cron to ground into a double play. “Down and effective,” manager Dave Martinez said of Corbin’s outing. “A lot of ground balls. The ball was down which I really like a lot. He pitched well.” Colorado had first and second with one out in the seventh before Daza hit into a double play against Victor Arano.
TRAINER’S ROOM
RHP Joe Ross (right elbow bone spur removal), who felt tightness in his elbow during a rehabilitation start Tuesday at Double-A Harrisburg, underwent an MRI that showed more of a sprain than previous MRIs. Ross, who had Tommy John surgery in 2017, will undergo further tests before a course of action is determined.
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