Smiles were few and far between for Felipe Lopez last season as personal issues off the field exacerbated a disappointing year on it.
An All-Star with the Cincinnati Reds in 2005, Lopez bounced between second base and shortstop with the Nationals, struggling to find his game.
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That search continued through spring training this year and Lopez found himself on the bench. But as the losses mounted for Washington, Lopez earned another chance. He has made the most of it.
A starter again at second base for the past eight games, Lopez had his best game yet on Thursday night against the New York Mets. He matched a career-high with six RBI, including a grand slam in the sixth inning, as the Nats rolled to a 10-5 victory at Nationals Park.
Washington (7-16) beat the second-place Mets (11-10) for the first time in five tries. New York led 3-0 in the fifth inning. But a single by Lopez drove in a pair of runs and Ryan Zimmerman tied the game with an RBI ground out.
An inning later, Lopez again batted with the bases loaded, this time lining a home run over the scoreboard in right field. It was his fourth career grand slam and third six-RBI game. Thanks to some shaky Mets defense, Washington added three more runs in the eighth to break the game open.
