WASHINGTON (AP) — Patrick Corbin pitched six innings to earn career win No. 100, Juan Yepez hit a three-run home run and the Washington Nationals beat the Colorado Rockies 8-3 on Thursday to take the rubber game of the series.
Luis Garcia Jr. and Jose Tena had two hits each for the Nationals, who have won three of their last four games.
In his sixth try for the milestone win, Corbin (3-12) allowed one run on four hits. He walked one batter and struck out a season-high eight in one of his best starts of the season.
“I’ve been wanting it for a little bit now. It’s taken a little bit,” Corbin said. “You try to go out there every fifth day and give it your best and hope the team wins. Whether you get the win in the column or not, those things happen, so you just try to do your best.”
Corbin went 14-7 with a 3.25 ERA for Washington in 2019 and was the winning pitcher in Game 7 of the World Series. Since then, the 35-year-old left-hander is 30-69 with a 5.64 ERA as he nears the end of a six-year, $140 million contract.
“Congratulations to him and his family,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “What I can say about Patrick is, the guy competes. He goes out there every five days, takes the ball, will give us 110 pitches if we ask him to. He’s been awesome.”
Brenton Doyle and Jacob Stallings homered for the Rockies.
Colorado righty Cal Quantrill (8-9), who was making his second start after missing a turn because of a sore forearm, gave up two runs on two hits over five innings.
“It wasn’t like they hit him hard at all,” manager Bud Black said. “Corbin outpitched him and then we couldn’t keep it close out of the bullpen.”
Black managed his 1,160th game, passing Clint Hurdle for the most games managed in Rockies history. Hurdle leads Black in wins, 534-523.
Washington took a 2-0 lead in the third. Joey Gallo led off with a walk and went to third on Alex Call’s one-out single. After Call stole second, James Wood blooped a two-out, two-run single to center.
“That was a tough one,” Quantrill said. “Felt like I made the pitch and got the contact I wanted, but it is what it is.”
The Rockies loaded the bases with two singles and a hit batter in the fourth, but Nolan Jones grounded into an inning-ending double play.
After Doyle’s homer made it 2-1 in the sixth, Washington added three runs in the bottom half, getting an RBI double from Keibert Ruiz and run-scoring hits from Garcia and Tena.
Yepez broke it open with his homer in the eighth.
Stallings homered in the ninth, scoring Michael Toglia, who walked.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rockies: RHP Ryan Feltner (right shoulder strain) made his first rehab start with Triple-A Albuquerque on Wednesday. He allowed five runs, three earned, on four hits over 2 2/3 innings (49 pitches).
UP NEXT
Rockies: LHP Kyle Freeland (3-5, 5.97 ERA) opposes LHP Carlos Rodon (13-8, 4.34) when Colorado opens a three-game series at the New York Yankees on Friday.
Nationals: LHP MacKenzie Gore (7-11, 4.66 ERA) starts the opener of a three-game series at the Atlanta Braves on Friday.
