KANSAS CITY -- Daylen Lile showcased an ability to come through in the clutch on Wednesday.
After the Nationals had surrendered an early five-run lead, Lile snapped a ninth-inning tie with a two-out RBI single off Royals closer Carlos Estévez to give Washington an 8-7 victory over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
The Royals had all the momentum entering the ninth, but the Nationals snatched it away thanks primarily to Lile.
With runners at first and third, Lile drove a 1-1 pitch to right for the go-ahead run and then Jose Ferrer held off the Royals in the bottom of the inning as Washington avoided a series sweep.
“[Lile] has been, to me, the most improved hitter,” Nationals interim manager Miguel Cairo said. “Since he went to Triple-A and then came back here, he’s on a mission. He wants to be in the big leagues.”
Lile relished the big opportunity that came his way in the ninth.
“It’s definitely a moment you dream of,” Lile said. “After the first pitch, I had to calm myself down and get back to what I do best. Stay within myself and capitalize.”
It would have been a long plane ride home for the Nationals if they had come up short after building leads of 5-0 and 7-3. Starter Jake Irvin didn’t have sharp control on a day when he gave up six runs, four walks and hit a batter. But the saving grace was a persistent offense and the combined work of five relievers who limited Kansas City to one run over the final five innings.
The Nationals’ bullpen could well have had five scoreless innings to close it out if not for the blazing speed of Royals’ outfielder Tyler Tolbert, who entered the game in the eighth as a pinch-runner with the Royals down by one run. Tolbert stole both second base and third base before scoring the tying run on Bobby Witt Jr.’s sacrifice fly.
Cairo paid tribute to Tolbert’s speed, saying Tolbert “got two bad jumps and still made it.”
The Nationals received a one-out double by Luis García Jr. in the ninth. García advanced to third on Josh Bell’s deep fly ball. After Nathaniel Lowe walked, Lile became the man in the spotlight.
“It was definitely a battle,” Lile said. “There were some things that weren’t good, but overall, it was a great game. I have definitely learned a lot. Coming up here, getting sent down and then just working on the things I needed to in order to become the player I want to be.”
Early on, it seemed that Lowe would be the offensive star of the day.
Matched against Royals ace Seth Lugo, the Nationals loaded the bases in the first before Lowe blasted the first grand slam of his career which landed well beyond the right-field wall. It was Lowe’s first homer since July 19.
“Scoring first is super important,” Lowe said. “I fouled off one of [Lugo’s] better fastballs and then got a good curveball to hit. I put a good swing on the ball and put some runs up for the good guys.”
Although they eventually gave up the lead, the Nationals never fell behind. Then Lile gave the Nationals another lead in the ninth that held up.
“Daylen, what a great at-bat,” Lowe said. “The hit falls in at the right time.”