Nats' bats bringing heat to frigid Target Field

MINNEAPOLIS -- Victor Robles was playing center field with a glove on his throwing hand, while several Nationals players wore face coverings to protect themselves from the cold.

If the Nats keep playing like they have through the first two games of this series against the Twins, they won’t mind these frigid conditions at Target Field.

With a first-pitch temperature of 35 degrees -- eclipsing the club record for coldest game played from a day earlier by two degrees -- Washington tied a season high for runs in a 10-4 win on Saturday afternoon. It’s the first series win of the season for the Nationals, who will go for a three-game sweep on Sunday.

“If we keep playing like this, I hope it’s 20 degrees for, like, the next four months,” manager Dave Martinez said. “They’re playing well, swinging the bats. They’re the ones making good contact, playing good defense.”

The Nationals tallied 15 hits, three shy of their season high set in Colorado on April 7. One day after hitting his first homer of the season, Joey Meneses tied his career high with four hits and CJ Abrams added his first home run since being traded to Washington last season.

“It’s obviously a little uncomfortable,” Meneses said through interpreter Octavio Martinez. “But as long as we keep winning, then let’s keep playing in the cold.”

The Nationals had gone 24 scoreless innings before Meneses’ homer on Friday, then built on the strong finish with a quick start against Twins ace Pablo López.

López entered the game with a 1.73 ERA and he had just signed a four-year extension with Minnesota. But Washington put pressure on the right-hander early, scoring twice in each of the first two innings, including a pair of RBI singles by Meneses.

“After a good game like yesterday, I feel like I felt more confident today,” Meneses said. “In today’s game, I just felt more and more like myself.”

Jeimer Candelario had two hits and drove in two runs. Dominic Smith and Robles also had a pair of hits.

The Nationals’ array of 10 singles often found grass just out of the reach of Twins defenders. When possible, the Nats took extra bases aggressively, including Robles’ triple in the fourth.

“They play hard, they play with contact bats and good athleticism,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “They do different things. They play a different brand of baseball than you see.

“It’s not every team that plays like this. But they’re out there making plays and putting the pressure on us.”

There was nothing cheap about Abrams’ first homer in his 63rd game for Washington. He turned on a low pitch and drove it over the tall right-field fence for a three-run homer.

“He’s got juice,” Martinez said. “We see it in batting practice. He’s just got to translate in the game.”

The 22-year-old Abrams, who was the third-youngest player in the Majors to start the season, had gone 237 consecutive plate appearances without a home run.

“I knew it would come at some point, but it was good to get the first one out of the way,” Abrams said.

Abrams added a nifty defensive play in the ninth, running into short left field to catch a popup.

Perhaps the cold helped the Nationals’ bats heat up.

“I think more so than anything, we’re getting ready,” Martinez said of the improved at-bats. “We’re on time and just trying to stay in the middle of the field, not trying to do too much.

“When it’s cold like this, you want to barrel up some baseballs. We’re just trying to stay in the middle of the field. The key is to get ready early.”