Nationals Fall in Series Finale | Washington Nationals News

**Corey** (0:00)
It's July 12th. Welcome in. This is Washington Nationals News Today, where your team meets AI. I'm Corey with the story. The Nationals dropped their series finale against the Yankees, losing 5-3.
This loss puts them under the 500 mark as they head into the All-Star break. Cade Cavalli was on the mound for his 20th start of the season, looking to build on his previous performance. James Wood continued to show why he's the leadoff hitter, blasting a home run early in the game. He also set a new franchise record for leadoff home runs before the All-Star break. A new face, Abimelec Ortiz, made his debut in the lineup. He spent six seasons in the minors and showed promise with a double in his first major league hit. Despite some early offensive sparks, the Nationals bullpen struggled to hold the lead. The Yankees managed to tie the game and then take it back in the later innings. A key play in the eighth inning saw a triple that allowed two runs to score.
Giving the Yankees a lead, they wouldn't relinquish. The Yankees added two more runs in the ninth inning to seal the victory. The Nationals couldn't muster a comeback in the final frame.
It was a tough ending to the first half of the season for the team.
Before the game, there was a special moment as James Wood, CJ Abrams, and Foster Griffin were recognized for their all-star selections.
Bill Nye, the science guy, was on hand to present them with their jerseys. The team will resume play next Friday against the Athletics.