The Associated Press The Pirates’ Konnor Griffin reacts with first base coach Tarrik Brock after he drove in two runs in the eighth.

WASHINGTON — Konnor Griffin had a tiebreaking two-run single in the eighth inning, leading the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Washington Nationals 11-5 on Sunday in a game in which he was also spectacular in the field.

Brandon Lowe followed Griffin’s key hit with a three-run homer off Brad Lord (5-2) to extend the lead.

Griffin, the 20-year-old who received a nine-year, $140 million contract in April, showed why the Pirates view him as such an important part of their future. He made a diving stop in the third on Curtis Mead’s grounder, but Mead beat the throw for an in-field single.

In the fourth, Griffin had to fight the sun on Keibert Ruiz’s popup to shallow left field, making a diving, backhanded grab. The following inning, he made another backhanded, sliding catch in the outfield, although James Wood was able to tag up and beat the throw home, resulting in a rare sacrifice fly to the shortstop.

Gregory Soto (5-2) got the win in relief. The Pirates blew a 4-0 lead before going ahead for good with their five-run eighth. Bryan Reynolds also homered for Pittsburgh, and Luis Garcia Jr. and Dylan Crews went deep for Washington.

Cade Cavalli, who is appealing a suspension for his role in Tuesday’s bench-clearing dustup at Boston, allowed three earned runs and six hits in 2• innings. Tyler Callihan opened the scoring for Pittsburgh with a two-run single in the second, and after an error on Cavalli on a pickoff attempt, he scored on Jake Mangum’s single.

Reynolds led off the fourth with his 13th homer of the year to make it 4-0.

Garcia hit a two-run shot — his 19th — in the bottom of the third, and the Nationals scored runs in the fourth and fifth to tie it. Pirates starter Bubba Chandler allowed four runs in four-plus innings.

Griffin’s hit with the bases loaded in the eighth put Pittsburgh up 6-4 and Lowe followed with a drive to right for his 21st homer. Crews went deep for the Nationals in the bottom of the inning.

Henry Davis hit a two-run single in the top of the ninth.

Saturday’s game

Braxton Ashcraft won his fourth consecutive start and the Pirates defeated the Nationals 7-1 on Saturday.

Davis and Lowe both drove in two runs for Pittsburgh.

Griffin stole home as part of a double steal with two outs in the first inning to open the scoring. Griffin earlier stole second after a leadoff single and the Pirates had four stolen bases for the game.

Wood hit a leadoff homer for the Nationals, whose three-game winning streak ended.

Ashcraft (9-3) allowed a run and six hits in 5ª innings and struck out seven. The 26-year-old right-hander has a 3.04 ERA and 32 strikeouts in four starts since June 17 and has won eight of his past nine decisions.

With the game tied 1-1, Nationals opener Carson Palmquist (0-1) loaded the bases with none out in the second before yielding to Zack Littell.

Davis then drove in a run with an infield single, and Lowe added a two-run single two batters later. Esmerlyn Valdez made it 5-1 with a run-scoring single later in the inning.

Littell gave up a run in six innings while striking out three.

Pittsburgh added two runs in the eighth against Riley Cornelio on Nick Gonzales’ RBI single and Davis’ bases-loaded walk.

Wood hit Ashcraft’s first pitch of the day 428 feet into the third deck in right field to tie it. It was his 23rd of the season, including his seventh leadoff shot.

Washington outfielder Jacob Young was scratched from the lineup about 40 minutes before the game with left hand soreness.

Friday’s game

Garcia and Daylen Lile each homered twice, and Jose Tena also went deep for Washington as the Nationals beat the Pirates 9-5 on Friday night.

Foster Griffin (9-2) allowed a run and four hits in five innings, lowering his ERA to 2.87 for the Nationals. Washington has won five of six.

Reynolds homered for Pittsburgh. Mitch Keller (6-6) allowed five runs and eight hits in six innings.

The temperature at game time was 100 degrees, and the ball was certainly carrying. Garcia opened the scoring in the first with his 17th homer of the season, a solo shot to right. An inning later, Lile hit a 417-foot drive to center to make it 2-0.

Reynolds’ solo homer to center in the third went 426 feet to get the Pirates on the board, but after Wood led off the bottom half with a triple, Tena hit a two-run shot — also to center — that went 434 feet.

Lile’s RBI double later that inning made it 5-1.

Garcia connected again in the seventh, hitting a two-run shot off reliever Isaac Mattson. Lile’s second homer was a two-run drive in the eighth.

Lowe, Reynolds and Valdez hit consecutive RBI doubles in the ninth for the Pirates, and Gonzales added another one an out later.

Griffin improved to 5-0 in his last nine starts, with the Nationals going 8-1 in those games. He’s allowed one run or fewer in six straight outings, although he had only two strikeouts Friday, his fewest since April 11.

Up next

After an off day, the Pirates send Paul Skenes (6-8) to the mound Tuesday night at home against Atlanta.