WASHINGTON (AP) — Top prospect James Wood launched his first career major league home run — a three-run shot — and added a two-run double for a career-high five RBIs as the Washington Nationals beat the St. Louis Cardinals 14-6 on Saturday.
Wood’s 383-foot three-run opposite field homer put the Nationals ahead 7-0 in the second inning. He has reached base in all six games as a National, tied with Ian Desmond (2009) for second overall in club history.
Click to Gallery
Washington Nationals' Lane Thomas, right, collides with St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn, left, while stealing second base during the first inning of a baseball game at Nationals Park, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Washington. The Nationals beat the Cardinals, 14-6. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Washington Nationals pitcher Jordan Weems throws during a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Nationals Park, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Washington. The Nationals beat the Cardinals, 14-6. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Giovanny Gallegos (65) throws during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Washington. The Nationals beat the Cardinals, 14-6. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Washington Nationals left fielder James Wood, right, is congratulated by third baseman Trey Lipscomb (38) after a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Nationals Park, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Washington. The Nationals beat the Cardinals, 14-6. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn (31) walks off the mound after being pulled during the third inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Washington Nationals' Keibert Ruiz (20) high-fives with Washington Nationals first baseman Juan Yepez, right, after hitting a three-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Nationals Park, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn (31) walks off the mound after the second inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
St. Louis Cardinals' Masyn Winn (0), left, is congratulated by Willson Contreras (40) after scoring on a wild pitch during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Washington Nationals' Lane Thomas, right, collides with St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn, left, while stealing second base during the first inning of a baseball game at Nationals Park, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Washington Nationals pitcher MacKenzie Gore throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Nationals Park, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Washington Nationals' James Wood, right, reacts after hitting a two-RBI double during the third inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Nationals Park, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Washington. At left is St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (16). (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Washington Nationals' James Wood, left, is congratulated by third base coach Ricky Gutierrez after hitting a three-run home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Nationals Park, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
“It’s definitely up there for sure, especially in a game you want to get out and get the lead early," Wood said of the home run. "That’s definitely a big moment.”
The five RBIs are tied for second all-time for a Nationals rookie. Danny Espinosa had six RBIs on Sept. 6, 2010.
“It felt good,” Wood said. “I was taking good swings, but a lot on the ground, so it felt good to get the ball in the air.”
In the third, Wood hit a double to the left field wall to score two more. The homer and double are his first extra-base hits at the big-league level.
“He got the big home run for us and then the double when they started making a comeback," Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. "He’s been playing really well since he’s been here. I love his at-bats. He’s very patient. He’s trying to get the ball in the zone which we talked to him about since spring training. So, he’s doing well.”
Keibert Ruiz went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a three-run homer off Cardinals starter Lance Lynn (4-4).
The Nationals scored a season-high 14 runs on 15 hits with three homers and four doubles.
Lynn allowed a career worst eleven runs — 10 earned — over 2 2/3 innings on 82 pitches, with nine hits, four walks and two strikeouts, his shortest outing of the season. He allowed three homers in a start just one other time this season (April 4 vs. Miami).
“The first inning, two home runs on first pitches, they did a good job of kind of getting me out of what I do," Lynn said. "They put good swings on balls and then I wasn’t executing pitches either. So when you have all that in one day, it’s a bad day. There’s no other way to say it. I didn’t pitch well today.”
CJ Abrams drilled a solo homer over the right-center field wall, his 14th of the season on the first pitch of the bottom of the first. Ruiz followed with a first pitch three-run shot to the same area, the ball traveling 403 feet.
Luis Garcia Jr. added three hits, including a double, a run and two RBIs. Lane Thomas also scored a run and had two hits, a stolen base and two RBIs.
Nationals left-hander MacKenzie Gore could not take advantage of the early lead, struggling with control, walking five, allowing six hits and five runs over 3 1/3 innings on 90 pitches. Jacob Barnes (5-2) tossed two scoreless innings for the win in relief. The Nationals have won three of their last four after a 1-7 slide.
“I was behind in the count so when you get out in a long inning in this heat, make it a little tougher on yourself than it needs to be,” Gore said. “This one is frustrating just for that reason. It was kind of on me, the one that was doing it. But we won the game.”
Nolan Gorman had three hits, including two doubles, but struck out in the third with the bases loaded against Gore. Brendan Donovan extended his on-base streak to 19 games.
It was the Cardinals second loss in six games.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Nationals recalled third baseman Trey Lipscomb and designated for assignment veteran third baseman Nick Senzel. It is the fourth time Lipscomb has been called up but this time he will get an extended look. Lipscomb went 1-for-5 with a run scored.
“We felt like it’s time for Trey to come up and play the majority of the time at third base,” Martinez said. “We want to give him a shot. He went down there and checked all the boxes, started swinging the bat really well.”
UP NEXT
Cardinals send right-hander Kyle Gibson (6-3, 3.88 ERA) to the mound against Nationals left-hander DJ Herz (1-2, 4.67) on Sunday.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Washington Nationals' Lane Thomas, right, collides with St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn, left, while stealing second base during the first inning of a baseball game at Nationals Park, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Washington. The Nationals beat the Cardinals, 14-6. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Washington Nationals pitcher Jordan Weems throws during a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Nationals Park, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Washington. The Nationals beat the Cardinals, 14-6. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Giovanny Gallegos (65) throws during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Washington. The Nationals beat the Cardinals, 14-6. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Washington Nationals left fielder James Wood, right, is congratulated by third baseman Trey Lipscomb (38) after a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Nationals Park, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Washington. The Nationals beat the Cardinals, 14-6. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn (31) walks off the mound after being pulled during the third inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Washington Nationals' Keibert Ruiz (20) high-fives with Washington Nationals first baseman Juan Yepez, right, after hitting a three-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Nationals Park, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn (31) walks off the mound after the second inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
St. Louis Cardinals' Masyn Winn (0), left, is congratulated by Willson Contreras (40) after scoring on a wild pitch during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Washington Nationals' Lane Thomas, right, collides with St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn, left, while stealing second base during the first inning of a baseball game at Nationals Park, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Washington Nationals pitcher MacKenzie Gore throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Nationals Park, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Washington Nationals' James Wood, right, reacts after hitting a two-RBI double during the third inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Nationals Park, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Washington. At left is St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (16). (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Washington Nationals' James Wood, left, is congratulated by third base coach Ricky Gutierrez after hitting a three-run home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Nationals Park, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
ROME (AP) — Human rights groups voiced outrage Wednesday after Italy released a Libyan warlord on a technicality, after he was arrested on a warrant from the International Criminal Court accusing him of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The Hague-based court, for its part, issued a more diplomatic response but its anger appeared evident. In a stern statement late Wednesday, the ICC reminded Italy that it is obliged to “cooperate fully” with its prosecutions and said it was still awaiting information about what exactly Rome had done.
The reaction came after the Italian government on Tuesday released and sent back home Ossama Anjiem, also known as Ossama al-Masri, who heads the Tripoli branch of the Reform and Rehabilitation Institution, a notorious network of detention centers run by the government-backed Special Defense Force.
Al-Masri had been arrested Sunday in Turin, where he reportedly had attended the Juventus-Milan soccer match the night before. The ICC warrant, dated the day before, accused al-Masri of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Mitiga prison in Libya starting in 2015 that are punishable with life in prison.
The ICC said he was accused of murder, torture, rape and sexual violence. It said the warrant was transmitted to member states on Saturday, including Italy, and that the court had also provided real-time information that he had entered Europe.
The court said it had reminded Italy at the time to contact it “without delay” if it ran into any problems cooperating with the warrant.
But Rome’s court of appeals ordered al-Masri freed Tuesday, and he was sent back to Libya aboard an aircraft of the Italian secret services, because of what the appeals court said was a procedural error in his arrest. The ruling said Justice Minister Carlo Nordio should have been informed ahead of time, since the justice ministry handles all relations with the ICC.
The ICC said it had not been given prior notice of the Rome court's decision, as required, and “is seeking, and is yet to obtain, verification from the authorities on the steps reportedly taken.”
Al-Masri returned to Tripoli late Tuesday, received at the Mitiga airport by supporters who celebrated his release, according to local media. Footage circulated online showed dozens of young men chanting and carrying what appeared to be al-Masri on their shoulders.
“This is a stunning blow to victims, survivors and international justice and a missed opportunity to break the cycle of impunity in Libya,” said Amnesty International’s Esther Major, deputy director of research for Europe.
Nordio appeared in the Senate on Wednesday for a previously-scheduled briefing, and was grilled by outraged opposition lawmakers who demanded clarity about what happened. Former Premier Matteo Renzi accused the right-wing government of hypocrisy given its stated crackdown on human traffickers.
“But when a trafficker whom the International Criminal Court tells us is a dangerous criminal lands on your table, it’s not like you chase him down, you brought him home to Libya with a plane of the Italian secret services,” said Renzi of the Italia Viva party. “Either you’ve gone crazy or this is the image of a hypocritical, indecent government.”
The Democratic Party demanded Premier Giorgia Meloni respond specifically to parliament about the case, saying it raised “grave questions” given the known abuses in Libyan prisons for which al-Masri is accused. Nordio didn't respond.
Italy has close ties to the internationally recognized government in Tripoli, on whom it relies to patrol its coasts and prevent waves of migrants from leaving. Any trial in The Hague of al-Masri could bring unwanted attention to Italy’s migration policies and its support of the Libyan coast guard, which it has financed to prevent migrants from leaving.
Human rights groups have documented gross abuses in the Libyan detention facilities where migrants are kept, and have accused Italy of being complicit in their mistreatment.
Two humanitarian groups, Mediterranea Saving Humans and Refugees in Libya, which have documented abuses committed against migrants in Libyan detention facilities, said they were incredulous that Italy let al-Masri go.
David Yambio, a 27-year-old from South Sudan who said he was abused by al-Masri while he was detained at the Mitiga prison in 2019-2020, said he felt betrayed by Italy. Yambio, who eventually escaped from the prison and arrived in Italy on a smuggler’s boat in 2022, said he had a “fleeting feeling of justice” when he heard that al-Masri had been arrested in Turin.
“Those who waited long before me, the Libyans who are victims of his criminal network, his war crimes, have been wanting for this day to come,” said Yambio, who received asylum and now lives in Modena and runs his Refugees in Libya advocacy group. “But when it came, it was immediately extinguished hours before it could even truly be felt in our hearts.”
But Tarik Lamloum, a Libyan activist working with the Belaady Organization for Human Rights which focuses on migrants in Libya, said Italy’s release of al-Masri was expected. He said his release shows the power of militias who control the flow of migrants to Europe through Libya’s shores.
“Tripoli militias are able to pressure (Italy) because they control the migrants file,” he told The Associated Press.
Militias in western Libya are part of the official state forces tasked with intercepting migrants at sea, including in the EU-trained coast guard. They also run state detention centers, where abuses of migrants are common.
As a result, militias — some of them led by warlords the U.N. has sanctioned for abuses — benefit from millions in funds the European Union gives to Libya to stop the migrant flow to Europe.
The European Commission spokesman reaffirmed all EU members had pledged to cooperate with the court.
“We respect the court’s impartiality and we are fully attached to international criminal justice to combat impunity," said EU commission spokesman Anouar El Anouni. In a 2023 summit, the EU leaders committed “to cooperate fully with the court, including rapid execution of any pending arrests,” he added.
Magdy reported from Cairo. Paolo Santalucia in Rome and Molly Quell in The Hague contributed.
FILE - View of the ICC, the International Criminal Court, in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)
Former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi makes his remarks during Justice Minister Carlo Nordio's appearance at the Senate for the report on the justice administration, in Rome, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Roberto Monaldo//LaPresse via AP)
Former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi makes his remarks during Justice Minister Carlo Nordio's appearance at the Senate for the report on the justice administration, in Rome, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Roberto Monaldo//LaPresse via AP)
Justice Minister Carlo Nordio addresses the Senate during the report on the justice administration, in Rome, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Roberto Monaldo//LaPresse via AP)
Justice Minister Carlo Nordio puts his hand to his head during the presentation of the report on the justice administration, at the Senate, in Rome, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Roberto Monaldo//LaPresse via AP)
Justice Minister Carlo Nordio addresses the Senate during the report on the justice administration, in Rome, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Roberto Monaldo//LaPresse via AP)