Adams gets some revenge as Nats end skid

WASHINGTON -- The day before the Nationals completed a massive roster overhaul at the Trade Deadline, they dealt veteran closer Brad Hand to the Blue Jays for rookie catcher Riley Adams.

Only three weeks later, Adams helped lead his new team to a 12-6 victory over his former club Tuesday at Nationals Park, snapping Washington’s seven-game losing streak.

• Box score

“It’s definitely still fresh,” said Adams, who was selected by the Blue Jays in the third round of the 2017 Draft. “It’s fun facing these guys. [I am] also trying to help out my teammates here as much as I can.”

Adams was a driving force behind the Nats’ highest run total since an 18-1 win on July 19 against the Marlins. He went 3-for-4 with a home run, three runs scored and three RBIs -- the first three-hit performance of his young Major League career. Over his last nine games, the 25-year-old is hitting .389 (7-for-18).

“Yesterday, when I was making the lineup out, I used that a little bit as a motivation for him,” manager Dave Martinez said with a smile. “But the matchup for me was the fact that the guy who was starting today [right-hander Alek Manoah] throws some sinkers, throws changeups, sliders down. I thought it was a good matchup for him. He did a great job today, not only hitting but also behind the plate.”

Adams was one of several players who played a role in getting a "W" for the Nationals, who had not won since Aug. 7 at Atlanta and had dropped 12 of 13 heading into the two-game Interleague series opener.

Yadiel Hernandez (2-for-3 with three RBIs) put Washington on the board in the second inning with a solo home run to right field, his fifth of the season.

After the Blue Jays drew even, the Nationals pulled ahead with six runs in the third, tying their season high for an inning set in that lopsided July 19 victory. Alcides Escobar got Washington going with a double that plated Adams and Victor Robles. Hernandez followed with a single to drive in Escobar and Juan Soto. Josh Bell scored on an errant pickoff throw, and Hernandez scored on Carter Kieboom’s sacrifice fly.

Adams belted his second home run of the season a Statcast-estimated 376 feet at 103.6 mph to left field in the fourth.

“He’s staying on the ball well,” Martinez said. “He’s getting ready early. Something we talked about with him is just giving yourself some time to recognize pitches. He’s doing that, and he’s putting the bat on the ball.”

And when the Blue Jays fought back with a three-run eighth inning, the Nats got insurance runs from pinch-hitting veteran Ryan Zimmerman (sac fly), Adams (two-run double) and Robles (RBI single) in the bottom of the frame.

“We started getting deep in counts, not chasing and just taking our walks and putting the ball in play,” Martinez said of the eighth.

Erick Fedde (5-8) earned the win, allowing three runs on five hits (one a home run to Teoscar Hernández) and three walks with four strikeouts over five innings. He is 2-0 this season against the Blue Jays. The right-hander also credited Adams for being well prepared to catch against his former team and setting up a “nice, big target” behind the plate.

“It’s awesome to see him be successful, and I’m sure he feels good doing it against the Jays,” Fedde said.

If Adams gets the start again Wednesday, he will be ready to carry that momentum from his first meeting in a Nationals uniform.

“It’s fun to see those guys, and it’s definitely fun competing against them and trying to do my best out there,” Adams said. “When I saw that I was catching Game 1 tonight, yeah, there was definitely a little bit more excitement just given the circumstance of who we were playing.”