*Photo from the Washington Post*
Things are off to a good start in this pitcher's career. CJ Abrams drove in two runs, Jake Irvin had a strong start, and the Washington Nationals defeated the San Francisco Giants with a 5-1 victory on Monday night in San Francisco.
In his first start last week, Irvin drew positive reviews from the Nationals coaches. In his most recent start on Monday, Irvin earned his first win in the majors as the Nats won their second straight game thanks to the strength of a 5 run first inning.
Nationals manager Dave Martinez said of Irvin that "He's got really good poise. The best thing is, he’s around the zone, he’s throwing strikes. He’s out there and he’s got a lot of poise, doesn’t let anything rattle him and he just tries to attack the strike zone. He’s a student of the game. He wants to learn. He wants to get better."
Joey Meneses started the scoring in the first for the Nationals, driving in Lane Thomas with a single to right field to put the Nationals ahead 1-0. Luis Garcia then came around to score on a single from Dominic Smith, doubling the Nationals lead to 2-0. Meneses scored on an RBI double from Alex Call, pushing the lead to 3-0.
With 3 runs already in and two runners on base, Abrams extended the lead more, driving in two runs on a two run single, making it 5-0 Nationals after the first inning. The scoring didn't resume until the 9th inning. That was when Joc Pederson got the Giants on the board, making it 5-1 with a solo home run to center field.
In his start, Irvin pitched 6 1/3 shutout innings, allowing 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5 hitters. Carl Edwards Jr came on in relief and pitched the next 1 2/3 innings. Andres Machado allowed one run while closing the win in the 9th inning.
Martinez said of Irvin's start that "I think the biggest thing is he used his fastball well. He threw a few more changeups, the changeup was really, really effective today. Landing his curveball for a strike, which he’s worked on and he did it well today."
Getting the start for the Giants was Anthony DeSclafani, who allowed 10 hits and 5 runs over 7 innings pitched, walking one hitter and striking out 3. Tristan Beck came on in relief and pitched two scoreless innings.
San Francisco manager Gabe Kapler said of the loss that "I don’t think we had our best day at the plate. Obviously, you’re putting the ball on the ground a lot, and they’re able to convert those into double plays. We’re going to have to get the ball in the air more frequently, continue to work counts and swing at pitches we can drive. We’ll be better than we were tonight."
Up next, game two of the series is on Tuesday night. The Nationals start Patrick Corbin on the mound, countered by Logan Webb for the Giants.
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