Yankees Defeat Nationals 5-3 to Complete Three-Game Sweep

The New York Yankees defeated the Washington Nationals 5-3 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep. New York trailed after seven innings in each game of the series but recorded its fourth consecutive overall victory. Ben Rice hit a two-run triple in the top of the eighth inning against Andrew Alvarez.

The hit gave the Yankees a 4-3 lead and put Ryan Yarbrough in position to earn the win. Paul Blackburn retired the final six Washington batters for his first save. José Caballero hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning to extend the lead to two runs.

The Yankees improved to 6-34 when trailing after seven innings, with three of those wins occurring in this series. James Wood led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run for Washington. Wood's 28th homer of the season was his 10th leadoff home run, setting a Nationals record.

Curtis Mead also homered for the Nationals, including a pinch-hit shot in the sixth inning that tied the score at 2-2. 's single. Austin Wells added a two-out RBI single later in the inning to give New York a 2-1 lead.

A throwing error by Chisholm in the seventh inning allowed Washington to take a 3-2 advantage. Washington's Cade Cavalli allowed two runs and four hits in six innings in his first start since a five-game suspension. Abimelec Ortiz made his major league debut for the Nationals, going 1 for 2 with a double.

The Yankees return after the All-Star break on Friday to face the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Nationals open a road series against the Athletics.