Ruiz, Lipscomb help Nationals beat White Sox in doubleheader opener

CHICAGO (AP) — Erick Fedde pitched seven sparkling innings against his former team, and the Chicago White Sox beat the Washington Nationals 4-0 on Tuesday night for a doubleheader split.

Fedde allowed three hits, struck out six and walked none. The 31-year-old Fedde was selected by Washington in the first round of the 2014 amateur draft and pitched for the Nationals for six seasons.

“I was trying to really downplay it all week, try not to think too much about it,” Fedde said. “Every start, I go out there, I want to try to pitch well and do my thing. But, of course it’s always in the back of your head, you want to pitch extra well. I’m glad it went the way I wanted it to, it’s a good feeling.”

Andrew Vaughn hit a three-run drive and a solo homer for Chicago, which improved to 10-8 since its 3-22 start to the season.

Washington won 6-3 in the opener. Keibert Ruiz and Trey Lipscomb each hit an RBI single during the Nationals' three-run eighth inning.

Joey Meneses went 4 for 4 and drove in two runs for Washington in the first game. Lipscomb had three hits and swiped three bases.

Derek Law (3-1) got three outs for the win, and Kyle Finnegan handled the ninth for his 13th save in 14 opportunities.

The doubleheader was scheduled after Monday’s series opener was postponed by rain.

Vaughn hit his second homer of the season with two out in the third inning in the second game, connecting on a 1-1 pitch from Mitchell Parker (2-2). He went deep again in the eighth against Jackson Rutledge.

“He’s been coming, little by little, the last seven to 10 days. He’s been swinging it better and better and better,” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said.

After Fedde (4-0) departed, Jordan Leasure worked the eighth and Michael Kopech finished the four-hitter.

Kopech issued consecutive walks with one out in the ninth, and the runners advanced on the reliever's second wild pitch of the inning. But Ruiz popped out and Jesse Winker lined to left.

The White Sox trailed 3-1 in the first game before pushing across two runs in the fifth against Trevor Williams. Errors by Lipscomb at third base and Eddie Rosario in left field helped set up a sacrifice fly for Braden Shewmake and a tying single for Tommy Pham.

The Nationals responded in the eighth against John Brebbia (0-2). Ruiz’s pinch-hit liner to right drove in pinch-runner Nasim Nuñez for a 4-3 lead. Lipscomb singled home Nick Senzel, and Victor Robles greeted Steven Wilson with a sacrifice fly to left.

“It was gonna be one of those games where whoever blinks first is going to be in trouble, and for us to play like we did, especially coming off a rainout and playing an early game like this, it was huge,” Williams said.

The White Sox put runners on first and second with one out in the ninth, but Zach Remillard bounced into a forceout at third and Nicky Lopez struck out looking for the final out.

Remillard was inserted into the game when rookie third baseman Bryan Ramos departed before the start of the seventh because of left quad tightness.

TRAINER’S ROOM

White Sox: On Monday, CF Luis Robert Jr. (right hip flexor strain) tried running at 90 percent, and INF Yoán Moncada (left adductor strain) began hitting left-handed. Grifol has not yet received an update on either player’s progress. “No news is good news, so that means that everything went fine yesterday,” he said. ... RHP Dominic Leone (back tightness) threw a live bullpen before the first game of the doubleheader.

Nationals: Winker returned to the starting lineup after he left Sunday’s loss to the Red Sox because of back spasms.

UP NEXT

Chicago’s Garrett Crochet (3-4, 4.63 ERA) faces Washington left-hander Patrick Corbin (1-3, 5.91 ERA) on Wednesday in the finale of the three-game series. Crochet is looking for his third straight win. Corbin is going for his 99th career victory.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb