In this series, pitching has mostly ruled the day despite the two highest scoring teams in the league squaring off. That was especially true today. The Nats and Braves were locked in a pitchers duel. In the end, two solo home runs from Dylan Crews and Jorbit Vivas proved to be the difference.
While the game started on time, there was an absolute downpour in the second inning, which led to a half hour delay. Both Grant Holmes and Jake Irvin seemed unaffected by the delay, and were absolutely dealing.
Irvin was the better of the two though. He threw five scoreless innings, retiring 15 of the 16 batters he faced.
This was the best Irvin has looked all season. His fastball was sitting at 94 MPH and the curveball was absolutely dancing. Irvin’s curve has been a great offering for him all season, and this was the best it has looked all year. He got 11 of his 14 whiffs on the big hook.
Unfortunately, Irvin seemed to have tweaked something at the end of his fifth inning of work. He tried to give it a go in the 6th, but he could not even make it through his warm up pitches. It would be a real shame if Irvin was hurt after this dominant outing. The results have not always been there for Irvin, but he has been one of the most dependable starters in the big leagues the last few years. I do not believe he has missed a start in his career to this point.
While Irvin was dealing, the Nats offense was mostly quiet. They had a tough time dealing with Grant Holmes’ breaking balls. The slider and the curve were both there for the mustachioed right hander. However, Holmes did make a couple mistakes and the Nats made him pay.
The first one came on an 0-2 count to Dylan Crews, who looked all out of sorts on the first two pitches. However, Holmes gave him a hanging slider, and the former LSU star did not miss it. Crews hammered his first home run of the season into left field, and gave the Nats a 1-0 lead.
Crews has been up and down since coming back from the minors, but seeing him homer was nice. It does feel like he falls into 0-2 counts far too often though. Hopefully this homer can be the start of something for Crews. It would be amazing if the Nats could get him going.
The Nats other home run also came from an unlikely character. Jorbit Vivas had really been struggling at the plate, especially with runners in scoring position. However, with nobody on, Vivas ambushed a Grant Holmes fastball on the first pitch that just left Truist Park. It was a huge homer that gave the Nats much needed insurance.
The pitching is what ruled the day though. After Irvin departed, Brad Lord came in and delivered three scoreless innings. He was able to navigate a Vivas error to strand two Braves in the 7th. As usual, Lord was fantastic in his bulk relief role and helped the Nats save their bullpen. He is such a key piece to this Nats pitching staff and is a true glue guy.
In the 9th, Richard Lovelady came in the game to face the middle of the Braves lineup. The fiery lefty retired Michael Harris, Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies without incident to secure the Nats a 2-0 win. It was a pitchers duel in Atlanta, and the Nats got the upper hand. The 3 Nats pitchers only allowed one hit and dominated a very good lineup. That sets up a rubber match tomorrow, weather permitting of course.
