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CLEVELAND – When Jake Irvin saw the ball leave Tyler Freeman’s bat and roll toward shortstop Ildemaro Vargas, his celebration began. Moments earlier, the Washington Nationals right-hander had allowed consecutive fifth-inning singles to the Cleveland Guardians, prompting a visit from pitching coach Jim Hickey. The ground ball Irvin needed came just three pitches later.
Vargas fielded the ball and threw it to second baseman Luis García Jr., prompting Irvin’s first punch. When Garcia completed the double play that ended the inning with a throw to first baseman Joey Gallo, Irvin punched the air again and then added some head movements on his way to the dugout.
The Nationals needed Irvin to be at his best to avoid a three-game sweep Sunday afternoon, and he did, allowing two runs in six innings in a 5-2 victory at Progressive Field.
“Great visit from (Hickey); he kind of signaled that this was a good opportunity for a ground ball on the first pitches,” Irvin said. “I just wanted to throw a pitch, and for those guys to throw it behind me, it’s always amazing. He was excited.”
Irvin set the tone by throwing 14 straight strikes to open his outing, finishing with six strikeouts and just one walk in 98 pitches. The victory closed out a seven-game trip to annual contender Atlanta and American League Central-leading Cleveland (39-20), in which the Nationals (27-31) finished 4-3.
“I always say the three constants: we have to pitch, we have to play good defense and we have to run the bases well,” manager Dave Martínez said. “The hitting will be there some days; Some days we had to scratch and claw. But if we can keep doing that, we can play, we can play with anyone.”
Irvin turned to his curveball 40 times, using it to get ahead in the count and then putting batters away while cutting his ERA to 3.39. After his departure, Robert Garcia, Hunter Harvey and Kyle Finnegan combined for three scoreless innings; Finnegan earned his 16th save.
“Winning most of the trip against two teams that have played very well so far this year is a win in everyone’s mind,” outfielder Lane Thomas said. “We left some things on the table in the first two games here, but they played well. … Looking ahead, I think we have a chance to beat a lot more good teams.”
On Monday night, the Nationals will open a three-game series against the visiting New York Mets with a slightly modified roster: Before Sunday’s game, backup catcher Riley Adams was optioned to Class AAA Rochester and Drew Miles was recalled.
Millas’ calling card is defense, where Keibert Ruiz and Adams have struggled this season. Adams has recorded -2 catcher framing runs, and Ruiz is the worst -3 in the MLB, according to Baseball Savant. Millas, a 26-year-old who played two games in April while Ruiz was sidelined with the flu, could get more opportunities this time around. He was hitting .308 with five home runs and an .858 OPS for the Red Wings.
That’s not to say the 27-year-old Adams, who struggled defensively in Saturday’s 3-2 loss, won’t get another chance. For the season, he is hitting .215 with two home runs and a .635 OPS; but in the last 15 games, he was hitting .140 with one extra-base hit. Martinez said he wants Adams to find his rhythm in Rochester. He also wants him to get reps at first base, giving him another avenue to earn playing time in case Joey Meneses (.607 OPS) and Gallo (.590) continue to struggle.
On Sunday, however, it was the last spot in the order (Meneses, Gallo and Vargas) that helped the Nationals take an early lead for Irvin, who hasn’t received much ground support. In the second inning, the Nationals had two runners in scoring position for Meneses, who doubled over Freeman’s head in center field for a 2-0 lead. After Gallo struck out, Vargas singled to bring home Meneses. Vargas advanced to second base on the throw, then made it 4-0 with a single by leadoff hitter Thomas.
The Guardians fell back in the bottom half. After a single and a double, Daniel Schneemann hit a two-out double on the first pitch he saw in the major leagues to cut the Nationals’ lead to 4-2. Irvin ended the threat by striking out Brayan Rocchio with a curveball.
In the fourth, Gallo walked and Vargas singled before Thomas’ sacrifice fly brought Gallo home to make the score 5-2. After that, the Nationals managed only two baserunners. One of them was Nick Senzel, who issued a 13-pitch walk in the eighth inning before being eliminated.
But the Nationals’ five runs, which tied for their second-most in an Irvin start this year, were more than enough.
“Claps for those guys, man,” Irvin said. “They took a little bit of weight off my shoulders and it was really amazing to see.”
Note: Outfielder Jacob Young (right hand soreness) and shortstop CJ Abrams (left shoulder problem) did not play. Abrams was in the starting lineup but was eliminated for the second day in a row. Martinez said X-rays of Young’s hand came back negative after he left Saturday’s game early.
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