Nationals Beat Pirates 9-5 as García Jr., Lile Each Hit 2 Homers

Q: Did Washington's sweltering heat actually fuel the Nationals' five-homer barrage?

Yes — the heat likely helped, though it was not the only reason. Friday’s game was played in roughly 100-degree conditions at Nationals Park, and the Nationals hit five home runs: two each by Luis García Jr. and Daylen Lile, plus one by José Tena. The additional reporting notes that the club “capitalized on the humid conditions,” and that the extreme heat was a major backdrop to the offensive outburst. There is solid scientific support for that idea. Warm air is less dense than cool air, and humid air is also slightly less dense than dry air. Lower-density air creates less drag on a baseball, which can allow well-hit balls to carry farther. In a game played in sweltering, humid weather, that effect can turn some deep fly balls into home runs. That said, the weather was more of an amplifier than a standalone cause. García Jr. and Lile still had to square pitches up, and Tena has recently shown strong bat-speed and hard-contact indicators, including a reported 97.7 mph average exit velocity over the previous 10 days. Their quality of contact was the primary driver. So the fairest answer is that Washington’s heat probably did contribute to the five-homer barrage by making the ball travel a bit better, but the Nationals’ own power hitting was the main reason it happened.

3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Jul 4

Washington opened its final pre-All-Star home stand with a 9-5 win over Pittsburgh, powered by two homers each from Luis García Jr. and Daylen Lile plus another from José Tena.
Foster Griffin held the Pirates to one run over five innings, exiting at 83 pitches in 100-plus-degree heat, and three relievers followed with scoreless outings before Zak Kent gave up four ninth-inning runs.
García’s 395-foot and 413-foot shots gave him 18 homers—tying his career high—and capped a six-game tear in which he is 12-for-23 with five homers and 13 RBIs.
The pitching effort mattered beyond Friday because Washington could soon lose Cade Cavalli and Miles Mikolas to 7-game and 5-game suspensions from Tuesday’s brawl, with both appeals still pending.
If those suspensions begin before Sunday and Monday, the Nationals may need Carson Palmquist, Brad Lord and additional roster moves to cover two rotation spots.