WASHINGTON — Carlos Correa hit a solo home run and made a diving play to prevent a game-tying run, and the Minnesota Twins beat the Washington Nationals 3-2 on Wednesday.
''He makes the play of the day defensively, clearly,'' Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said of Correa's lunging stop and throw that preserved a 2-1 lead. ''We're probably still playing, or we could be down if he doesn't play the way that he played today defensively. I mean, that's big-time stuff.''
Max Kepler also had a solo shot, doubled and scored a late run to win the game and series, which the Twins began by losing their seventh in a row.
Minnesota starter Simeon Woods allowed three hits and a walk over 4 and 2/3 scoreless innings, and Steven Okert (1-0) retired four straight batters — after hopping on the Nationals' bullpen cart and tipping his driver a $5 bill — for the first win of his career with the Twins.
''I've been carrying it the whole series, waiting to get in,'' Okert said.
Joey Meneses homered for Washington, which lost its seventh out of eight while going 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position.
In the seventh, Keibert Ruiz grounded into a fielder's choice off Jax Griffin to plate one runner, advance another to third and cut Washington's deficit.
Jacob Young followed by hammering a grounder up the middle. But Correa ranged to his left, dove to glove the ball, than leaped to his feet and threw to retire Young by a step.
