Nationals secure 2-0 shutout over Braves in combined one-hitter
Home runs from Dylan Crews and Jorbit Vivas provide offensive support as Washington completes a combined no-hit effort through five innings before a controversial seventh-inning play.
The Washington Nationals defeated the Atlanta Braves 2-0 on Saturday, completing a combined one-hitter that underscored the resilience of their pitching staff. The victory marks the second series loss for Atlanta this season, following a split of the first two games, and highlights a defensive performance that held the first-place Braves to a single hit throughout the contest.
Washington starter Jake Irvin, a 29-year-old right-hander with a 2-4 record, delivered a dominant five-inning performance before exiting with an injury. Irvin struck out seven batters and walked one on 80 pitches, maintaining a hitless streak until the seventh inning. He bent over and grimaced after his final out in the fifth, underwent warmups in the sixth, and was lifted without throwing another official pitch, though the nature of his injury remained unknown.
The offensive output was driven by home runs from Dylan Crews and Jorbit Vivas, both launched off Braves starter Grant Holmes. Holmes, who improved to a 3-2 record, struck out 10 batters in five innings, marking only the third time in his career he has reached double-digit strikeouts. He notably escaped a bases-loaded jam with no outs in the third inning via a 1-2-3 double play.
Washington relievers Brad Lord and Richard Lovelady preserved the shutout. Lord pitched three innings, retiring the first-place Braves in order until Michael Harris recorded the game’s only hit, a lead-off single to centre field in the seventh. A controversial play occurred during this sequence when an overturned call initially put two runners on base, but a subsequent replay review upheld the revised call after shortstop CJ Abrams appeared to strike Harris in the helmet. Braves manager Blake Butera disputed the play, but the call stood.
Richard Lovelady secured the save with a perfect ninth inning, his fourth of the season. The game, which was delayed for 41 minutes during the second inning due to rain, concludes on Sunday with Nationals left-hander Foster Griffin (5-2, 4.02 ERA) facing Braves left-hander Martín Pérez (2-2, 2.85 ERA).
