James Wood’s first homer highlights Nationals’ rout of Cardinals

Metrics tell us the ball had an exit velocity of 103.3 mph, sent out on a launch angle of 31 degrees and carried a distance of 383 feet. The three-run blast gave the Nationals a seven-run lead in a game they would go on to win, 14-6. The smile on the rookie’s face, however, said a lot more.

“I was just holding it in for a little bit,” Wood said in the clubhouse afterward. “But just getting to home, seeing everybody greet me there, that was pretty cool.”

Save for a quick point to the sky, there was little in his celebration that suggested this was Wood’s first home run. He took 28 seconds to circle the bases, breaking out a grin as he approached the plate.

There, he was met by teammate Ildemaro Vargas, who is listed at 6 feet and who struggled mightily to get Washington’s “Uncle Slam” hat atop the 6-foot-7 Wood’s head. Once the homer prop found its place, Wood’s grin grew a bit more.

“Really special,” Keibert Ruiz said of the moment. “I’m so happy for him. He’s a great guy. He’s super talented. I think he’s going to have this team winning for a long time.”

There was something appropriate about Wood’s first homer on this sweltering afternoon. The game marked the youngest lineup Nationals Manager Dave Martinez had trotted out all season, with an average age of just 25.6, per the website TruMedia. Wood batted in the No. 3 spot and finished 2 for 5 with five RBI on a day when many of the players Washington views as foundational pieces flourished.

“To see them bounce back [from Friday’s extra-innings loss] and do what they did, that says a lot about the character of these guys and our young players,” Martinez said. “They’re hungry.”

It started fast. After MacKenzie Gore breezed through the first, CJ Abrams opened the bottom of the inning with a homer to straightaway center field, his 14th of the season. Four batters later, Ruiz drove in three runs with his fifth long ball.

Gore worked a scoreless second before the Nationals struck again, turning the sweltering afternoon into a laugher. With two on and two out, Wood connected. Lynn stayed in, laboring, and walked Jesse Winker, then allowed singles to Ruiz and Luis García Jr. that, with the help of a throwing error, put Washington up 9-0.

Gore, one of those foundational pieces, allowed five runs and didn’t make it out of the fourth, but the 25-year-old left-hander is keenly aware of the team in transition.

“There’s something to get excited about,” Gore said of the young core. “And look, it’s all about winning here. So I didn’t have a good start today, but we still found a way to win, and that’s what it’s all about. It’s what young teams need to do is learn how to win.”

When Martinez talks of his team’s youth, he does not mean solely Wood. Trey Lipscomb, 24 and a fellow Maryland native, arrived before Saturday’s game, recalled from Class AAA Rochester (N.Y.) while the organization designated 29-year-old Nick Senzel for assignment. Lipscomb went 1 for 5. García, 24, had three hits, and Juan Yepez, 26 and recalled this week, added two of his own.

“It’s cool, just seeing what we’re capable of and just also knowing how much more we can grow,” Wood said.

It was the third time this week the Nationals had moved on from a stopgap option in favor of a younger player. On Monday, they designated Eddie Rosario (32) for assignment to make room for Wood. On Friday, they selected Yepez from Class AAA and optioned Joey Meneses (32).

Like Rosario, Senzel had a handful of productive weeks, but his production was not enough to make him a viable trade chip. His departure came with him hitting .209 with a .663 OPS. Lipscomb, who also has had an up-and-down season at the plate, offers defensive upside, and he had gone 15 for 38 with five doubles and three homers in his most recent 10-game stint with the Red Wings. He will get a chance to become Washington’s everyday third baseman.

But on a day when the Nationals (42-47) lashed 15 hits off the Cardinals (46-42) and Ruiz finished a triple shy of the cycle, the spotlight belonged to Wood, the top prospect whose first week has done little to temper expectations.

In the top of the third, the park still riding the excitement of Wood’s homer, a fan in the left field seats commanded his section to give the rookie an ovation. Wood acknowledged the gesture with a shy half-wave. He is still getting accustomed to the attention.

“I know he enjoyed it,” Abrams said. “First home run in the bigs. There’s many more to come.”