JJ Bleday doubles in loss to Nationals

Cruz opened the scoring in the ballgame with a 433-foot (117.4-mph EV) blast off of Erick Fedde to open the fourth inning. He also added on a valuable insurance run with an RBI single off of Bryan Hudson in the eighth. The dynamic 27-year-old is having an outstanding all-around season at the plate, slashing .276/.362/.486 to go along with 18 homers, 62 RBI, 89 runs scored and 27 stolen bases in only 367 plate appearances across his 84 games.

Triolo drew a two-out walk in the fifth inning and stole second base but wound up stranded there. He then led off the eighth inning with an infield single, again swiped second base and scored on an RBI single off the bat of Oneil Cruz. For the season, the 28-year-old infielder is slashing .248/.321/.318 with three homers, 29 RBI and 13 stolen bases (in 14 attempts) across 340 plate appearances.

Montgomery made things a bit interesting, allowing a leadoff single to Randal Grichuk that brought the tying run to the dish. He rebounded though, to retire Miguel Vargas and Munetaka Murakami on ground balls before striking out Edgar Quero to end the game. The 26-year-old southpaw has been terrific for the Bucs this season, registering a 2.77 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and a 95/23 K/BB ratio over 61 2/3 innings while converting 12 of his first 14 save chances.

Jones racked up eight strikeouts in the dominant performance. The lone hit against him came with two outs in the seventh inning as Colson Montgomery doubled to right. The 25-year-old righty piled up a whopping 20 swings and misses on 90 offerings in the game — 12 of those on his slider — while posting a strong CSW of 33 percent. He’ll look to keep the good times rolling as he carries a 4.10 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and a 100/30 K/BB ratio (85 2/3 innings) into a tough matchup against the Brewers on Wednesday.

Vargas drew a leadoff walk in the fourth inning, swiped second base and took third on a throwing error, but the White Sox couldn’t cash him in from there. The 26-year-old is having an outstanding season at the dish, slashing .248/.359/.477 with 30 homers, 79 RBI and 17 stolen bases — career highs across the board.

Fedde struck out three batters on the night and didn’t allow a base on balls. He took over in the third inning and worked into the eighth. He served up a solo homer to Oneil Cruz in the fourth inning, then exited with a man on second and one out in the eighth and that runner ultimately scored against the bullpen. Fedde got six whiffs on 81 pitches on the night, posting an uninspiring CSW of 22 percent. He’ll bring a respectable 3.97 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and a 91/48 K/BB ratio (133 2/3 innings) into Tuesday’s matchup against the Guardians in Cleveland.

Volpe certainly made the most of his return to the Bronx on Thursday. He smacked an RBI single off of Ryan Feltner in the second inning that increased the Yankees’ lead to 3-1. He also swiped third base before being stranded there. Volpe then delivered a 352-foot (104.0-mph EV) grand slam off of Jimmy Herget in the seventh inning that made it a 10-2 ballgame. With his three-hit attack, the 25-year-old infielder is now slashing .251/.333/.349 with just two homers, 24 RBI and eight stolen bases in 198 plate appearances with the Yankees this season.

García got the Yankees’ offense started in the opening inning with a 413-foot (103.7-mph EV) two-run shot off of Rockies’ right-hander Ryan Feltner. It’s the first time in his career that the 26-year-old infielder has eclipsed the 30-homer plateau. He’s in the midst of an unbelievable offensive campaign, slashing .287.319/.553 with 30 homers, 91 RBI and five stolen bases in 499 plate appearances between the Nationals and Yankees.

Jones did his damage during a six-run uprising in the seventh inning, with his two-run single extending the Yankees’ lead to 6-2. He then rode home on Anthony Volpe’s grand slam. With his three-hit evening, the 25-year-old slugger is now hitting .255/.333/.452 with nine homers, 33 RBI and nine stolen bases in his first 235 plate appearances with the Bombers.

Fried punched out seven batters on the night. While the poor command didn’t lead to any trouble, it did lead to Fried needing 80 pitches (48 strikes) to record 10 outs, which is why he was yanked in the middle of the fourth inning. The lone tally against him came on a solo homer by Kyle Karros in the second inning. The 32-year-old southpaw will look to bounce back as he totes a 2.73 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and a 94/31 K/BB ratio (99 innings) into Tuesday’s matchup against the Twins in Minneapolis.