Nationals 7, Royals 3: Crews Homers in Five-Run Fifth

The lead

June 15, 2026 - Washington - Dylan Crews hit a three-run homer in a five-run fifth inning, Luis García Jr. drove in two runs with a go-ahead single, and the Washington Nationals beat the Kansas City Royals 7-3, per the Associated Press recap on CBS Sports.

Washington finished with 14 team FP in AthX Engine scoring and moved three games over .500 for the first time since their 2019 World Series title.

How the game turned

Curtis Mead gave Washington a 2-0 lead in the third with a two-out single. Maikel Garcia's two-run single put Kansas City ahead 3-2 in the fifth before García's two-run single and Crews' three-run homer flipped the game to 7-3.

The Nationals have won seven of 10 during a stretch that continued their strong June at Nationals Park.

Pitching and matchup notes

Brad Lord (5-0) worked three innings in relief with 6 pitching FP after Andrew Alvarez allowed one run in four innings. Mitch Spence (0-1) was charged with six runs in 4-plus innings for Kansas City.

James Wood doubled and scored twice in the rally.

Bats that changed the board

Crews' three-run homer paced a 14 team FP night for Washington. AthX Engine spread value across a lineup that scored five times in one frame.

AthX Engine fantasy angle

AthX Engine rewards big-inning rallies when multiple hitters contribute. Washington's fifth-inning burst registers in daily team scoring even without a single 15+ FP hitter, separate from dynamic pricing.

What comes next

The Nationals and Royals continued the series Tuesday at Nationals Park, per the MLB schedule.

*Sources: MLB.com schedule, CBS Sports/AP recap, AthX Engine scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*