Weather was a factor in a short outing for Brandon Williamson Thursday, but he gave the Cincinnati Reds enough to maintain a two-game lead in the National League Central.
Washington starter MacKenzie Gore pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings and was removed after a 1-hour, 43-minute rain delay. Williamson remained after the delay and went two more innings after the break.
Cincinnati would eventually win 5-4 in 10 innings over the Nationals.
Reds’ manager David Bell credited pitching coach Derek Johnson for the decision to send Williamson back to the mound.
“He was convinced he could do it," Bell told The Associated Press. "He stayed ready and kept his legs loose and his arm loose enough. If he doesn't do that for us and for our team, we don't make it through the game. We have no chance to win that game.”
The Martin County West graduate threw three shutout innings, allowing one hit, walking one and striking out four.
Cincinnati is 49-39 and stretched its winning streak to five with a four-game sweep in the Nation’s Capital. The Reds have won 20 of their last 24 games overall and 19 of their last 22 on the road, moving 10 games over .500 for the first time since Aug. 29, 2021.
Cincinnati leads the Brewers by two games as the teams head into a stretch where they’ll meet in six straight games.
They’ll play three in Milwaukee this weekend and then meet three more times in Cincinnati next weekend following the All-Star Break.
During the teams’ first meeting from June 2-5 at Great American Ball Park, the Brewers took three of four games.
Williamson is 1-2 on the season with a 5.21 earned run average. In 46 2/3 innings he has allowed 30 runs (27 earned) on 44 hits, walked 19, hit one and struck out 38. Opponents have a .246 batting average.