WASHINGTON – Victor Martinez hit a three-run homer to straightaway center field in the top of the ninth, and the Cleveland Indians ended the game with an unusual double play in a 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Saturday night.

Martinez hit Chad Cordero’s pitch over the 410-foot mark, ending 17 innings of offensive doldrums for the Indians against the Nationals pitching staff. Cleveland scored only one run in Friday night’s loss and appeared on course to do the same on Saturday until the big three-run ninth.

But the Nationals almost pulled it out in the bottom of the ninth against Cleveland closer Joe Borowski before running themselves out of the inning.

Brian Schneider led off with a single to center. After Brandon Watson popped to the catcher trying to bunt, Nook Logan doubled to left-center, advancing Schneider to third. Cristian Guzman was then intentionally walked to load the bases, bringing up Felipe Lopez.

Lopez hit a sharp grounder back to Borowski, who threw home to force Schneider. Catcher Kelly Shoppach then alertly noticed that Logan had been overaggressive when rounding third. Shoppach threw to third baseman Casey Blake to complete the 1-2-5 double play.

Tom Mastny (5-2) pitched the eighth inning to get the victory, and Borowski was credited with his 21st save despite the shaky ninth.

The Indians were trailing 3-1 when Franklin Gutierrez and Blake both singled to left with none out in the top of the ninth. That set up Martinez, who hit his 14th homer and has 62 RBIs.

It was only the second blown save for Cordero since he returned from the bereavement list following the death of his grandmother last month. Cordero had converted eight of nine opportunities and had an ERA of 0.92 in his last 19 games before Saturday.

Cleveland’s win keeps the Indians one game behind first-place Detroit in the AL Central.

Matt Chico allowed one run over six innings for the Nationals, following the worst start of his young career with one of his best, giving up four hits with three walks and three strikeouts. The rookie left-hander, the only member of the Nationals rotation not to miss a turn this season, made his only mistake when he grooved a first-pitch fastball to Grady Sizemore for a home run to lead off the sixth.

Paul Byrd pitched a solid 6 2-3 innings for the Indians, allowing only a manufactured run in the third, Dmitri Young’s RBI hit in the sixth, and a run that scored on reliever Rafael Perez’s wild pitch in the seventh. Byrd allowed seven hits, walked one and struck out four.

Watson continued to swing the bat well and run the bases aggressively after getting a midweek promotion following a 43-game hitting streak in Triple-A that set the International League record. Watson, who got two hits Friday night, went 2-for-3 with a stolen base on Saturday and scored Washington’s first and third runs.

Watson singled to lead off the third, stole second, advanced to third on Chico’s groundout and scored on Guzman’s flyout to center. Watson was intentionally walked in the fifth, then singled in the seventh and scored with a headfirst slide on a wild pitch that bounced only 15 feet or so away from home plate.

Notes: Guzman has an RBI in a career-high five straight games. … The attendance of 32,539 was the largest crowd at RFK Stadium since opening day (40,389) and included the largest number of walk-up fans (6,863) since baseball returned to Washington in 2005. … Schneider reached third with a single and a two-base error with one out in the fifth when CF Sizemore misplayed the ball. Schneider was stranded at third, however, after Chico struck out and Guzman popped out to shortstop.

AP-ES-06-23-07 2208EDT