Luis

García Jr.

García got the scoring started with a two-run homer off Merrill Kelly in the first inning. With the bases loaded in the sixth, he completely blew the game open with a grand slam off Philip Abner, giving him a team-high six RBI in the blowout win. The two homers give García seven on the season while hitting .263/.291/.454 with 23 runs scored and 37 RBI across 203 plate appearances.

García greeted Griffin Canning with a strong hack on a 3-0 count in the bottom of the fourth, rocketing his solo shot to right-center field. The lefty first baseman was later pinch-hit for as he remains in a strict platoon. He bats second against all right-handers, which is a comfortable lineup slot on the highest-scoring offense in MLB.

García takes a seat with Andrés Chaparro getting a chance to face Cleveland southpaw Joey Cantillo. The 26-year-old first baseman went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer and four RBI during Monday’s series opener where the Nationals clobbered six home runs during a blowout win. He’s hitting .314 (16-for-51) with three homers and nine RBI over his last 15 games.

García extended Washington’s early lead with a second-inning blast against Guardians starter Tanner Bibee before adding a two-run single in the sixth to put the Nationals up by a touchdown and a two-point conversion. It was the 26-year-old infielder’s first time going deep since a two-homer outburst back on May 14.

He was the only Nats hitter to reach multiple times against Chase Burns and the bullpen. García isn’t exactly underperforming at the plate -- .276/.306/.441 in 127 at-bats was well within the range of reasonable expectations -- but his stolen base attempts have declined precipitously and that’s made him a harder roster in fantasy leagues this year.

Garcia takes a seat against Reds lefty Nick Lodolo following an impressive three-hit performance, which included a pair of home runs, during Tuesday’s series opener. The 25-year-old first baseman has recorded three consecutive multi-hit performances to raise his batting average from .231 to .270 through 37 games. It’ll be Curtis Mead getting an opportunity at the cold corner and hitting second in his place.

García led off the fourth inning with a triple off of Sandy Alcantara and scored the Nationals’ first run on a ground out off the bat of Brady House. He then smacked a run-scoring double the following frame that knotted things up at 2-2. That would wind up being the extent of the Nationals’ offense. With his two-hit attack, the 25-year-old infielder is now slashing .256/.279/.376 with one homer and 19 RBI in 122 plate appearances on the season.

García is back at first base and hitting second following a four-game absence due to a right wrist sprain that he suffered last weekend. The 25-year-old infielder managed to avoid a trip to the injured list and shouldn’t miss any additional time. He has just one homer and two steals in 34 games this season.

To be fair though, they are facing a left-hander on Friday night so it’s possible that he would have sat out that one even if he was fully healthy. The 25-year-old infielder suffered a right wrist sprain during Sunday’s contest against the Brewers and hasn’t played since. The fact that he hasn’t been placed on the injured list though — at least as of yet — bodes well for his chances of returning soon.

Garcia will sit out his second straight contest after being diagnosed with a right wrist sprain. He’s expected to avoid a trip to the injured list. Curtis Mead makes another start at the hot corner in his place on Wednesday evening.