Jesse Winker’s big grand slam helps the Nationals win big in Miami

Jesse Winker’s big grand slam helps the Nationals win big in Miami

MIAMI — The ball hung in the air for five seconds and Jesse Winker stood still for every single one, creating the portrait of a man — and a team — who needed every bit of the ball he just got.

After the game, he said he just wanted to hit the ball in the air, hoping for a sacrifice fly that would give the Washington Nationals an insurance run in the fifth inning. Instead, he gave them much more: a grand slam into the second deck at LoanDepot Park, their first extra-base hit in 18 innings, his first since April 16 and, ultimately, a catalyzing force in an 11-4 win over the Miami Marlins on Saturday afternoon.

Winker, whose presence in Washington has been as much about his resurgence as it has been about his role as a veteran leader in a new clubhouse, played both roles perfectly Saturday. He only stalked his slam for about half of its 391-foot flight before turning his attention to Nick Senzel, who began his trot home from third base. Once Winker crossed home plate to put the Nationals up 6-1, he turned his attention to a forceful high-five of Jacob Young and a custom handshake with CJ Abrams.

A small gesture, maybe. But those small gestures tend to saturate the 2024 Winker experience. At his locker after the game, he shared a few sentences about the swing. He said a lot more about the players who preceded him on the bases.

“CJ, I could talk about him until tomorrow — about everything he’s done on both sides of the ball, how impressive he’s been,” he said. “Same thing goes for Jacob as well — what a player. He plays so hard. He’s so fast. He’s one of my favorite players right now. Him and CJ, they’re at the top of my list of favorite guys to watch. And what a privilege I get to play alongside them.”

Manager Dave Martinez said Winker’s grand slam loosened up the team. Winker’s take?

“That’s what it’s about,” he said. “Any time you can help a baseball team win a game, that’s why you wake up in the morning.”

It’s harder to remember now, as his batting average climbed to .291 and his OPS reached .869, but helping this baseball team win a game wasn’t a guarantee when Winker arrived. Just three years ago, he was an all-star with the Cincinnati Reds. In 61 games with the Milwaukee Brewers last year, he hit .199 with six extra-base hits. He signed a minor league deal two days before spring training, down 25 pounds. His plate discipline, his leadership, his nine extra-base hits and his team high-tying 13 RBI — they have all paid off.

“We’ve just got to keep those good vibes,” catcher Keibert Ruiz said.

Keibert Ruiz celebrates his solo homer.

For Washington, there was catharsis in how the runs arrived: via big swings. Just as they had for most of the past week, the Nationals (12-14) handled themselves on the mound, defensively and on the bases just fine. For the first time this season, though, they eclipsed 10 runs. Senzel and Ruiz each hit a solo home run after Winker’s slam. Abrams tripled home another run. Trey Lipscomb had three hits. Young scored four runs. Miami outhit Washington 13-11, but the Nationals’ power — and absence of defensive miscues — put them far ahead.

“My biggest thing is we swung at strikes,” Martinez said. “That’s what it’s going to take. Collectively as an offense, we’ve got to do all the little things.”

Left-hander Mitchell Parker was impressive in his third MLB start, all the more notable considering he didn’t feel he had his best stuff. His first two major league walks helped load the bases in the first inning, and a wild pitch gave the Marlins (6-22) a 1-0 edge. Miami made him work, too — in his previous start, he needed just 73 pitches in seven scoreless innings vs. Houston. He was at 72 pitches after three innings Saturday after stranding runners at second and third.

But his splitter continued to generate whiffs and his four-seamer induced weak contact, and the bullpen and defense were strong behind him. After four innings, his day was over, having allowed one run and six hits with two strikeouts to raise his ERA to 1.69. It was the fifth time in the Nationals’ past six games that their starter allowed one or fewer runs. The bullpen, too, was spotless until the ninth, when Tanner Rainey allowed three runs.

“Just [kept] attacking the strike zone and use the fielders behind me,” Parker said. “No pitches were working great, but we were able to figure things out.”

Mitchell Parker lasted four innings Saturday in his third MLB start.

Notes: Before Saturday’s game, the Nationals placed Joey Gallo on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder AC sprain and recalled outfielder Alex Call from Class AAA Rochester. Martinez said Gallo had been dealing with the injury for about a week and was trying to play through it, but it had been affecting his swing. Gallo had one hit and 17 strikeouts in his previous 21 at-bats and has struck out 43 times, the most in the majors.

The addition of Call gives the Nationals a strong defensive presence and another right-handed bat. The 29-year-old had a good spring training and was hitting .216 for Rochester with six homers, three of which came in the past week. He hit .200 in 128 games for Washington last season and was a defensive substitute in Saturday’s win.