{"id":679978,"date":"2026-04-20T20:37:54","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T20:37:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/679978\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T20:37:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T20:37:54","slug":"nationals-first-shutout-highlights-giants-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/679978\/","title":{"rendered":"Nationals First Shutout Highlights Giants Series"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the Nationals to succeed this year they have to find ways to win the extra-innings games, in which they are now 1-3. They also have to find ways to win two out of three games from the teams that are struggling, like the 9-13 San Francisco Giants. Unfortunately over the weekend the Nationals lost Friday 10-5, won Sunday 3-0, but lost in the 12th inning Saturday night, missing a chance for an extra-inning win and a successful weekend.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"JGC-3430.jpg\"Nasim Nunez on the move.\n<\/p>\n

A look at the standings shows that the Nationals are currently tied for second place in the National League East despite their 10-12 record, so that\u2019s a plus. But the surprising incompetence of the 8-13 Phillies and the 7-15 Mets is the biggest reason for that spot in second place. The Nats are tied there with the Marlins and they begin a four-game home series with the first-place Braves tonight.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Friday night Nationals starter Zack Littell just couldn\u2019t get people out and was down 6-0 after two innings. He left after the fourth with the score 8-3 and took the loss. The Nats did get homers from James Wood, Daylen Lile, and three hits from DH Jose Tena.<\/p>\n

\"ZackZack Littell making his pitch.\n<\/p>\n

\"nunez\"The Saturday game saw the Nationals up 5-1 after two innings. That lead was not enough, however, and by the seventh inning they were down 6-5. Brady House brought the stadium to life in the ninth when he singled Wood home for the tying run. The Nats should have won in the 10th inning when they loaded the bases with no one out. After two strikeouts, third baseman Jorbit Vivas hit a sharp grounder to shortstop Willy Adames. Adames tried to beat speedster Jacob Young to second for the force out but lost that footrace. However, he still had time to throw out Vivas at first for the third out. Two innings later the Giants pushed across the winning run with a single.<\/p>\n

\"JGC-3656.jpg\"CJ Abrams applying the tag at second.<\/p>\n

The Nationals\u2019 pitching gets the credit for the 3-0 Sunday win and the first shutout of the season. The team is trying a lot of things they haven\u2019t tried in previous years including using an opener. If you\u2019re not familiar with openers, it\u2019s generally when you have a reliever start a game to get a clear pitching advantage against the opposing lineup in the first inning. For example, you start a lefty reliever against the other team\u2019s first three lefty hitters, and then bring in your normal starter.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lefty reliever PJ Poulin started the first inning but left with two on and two out for right-handed \u201cstarter\u201d Miles Mikolas, who then pitched four clean innings. So did Francisco Alvarez who had just been called up from Rochester for the game after the Saturday game went 12 innings. He struck out five, walked none, and was rewarded with a return ticket to Rochester. He should be back. The Nats have already used 20 different pitchers in 22 games, sometimes because of circumstance and sometimes because they are sifting through their pitching options. First baseman Curtis Meade hit a two run homer for the Nats, all the runs they needed this time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"LileDaylen Lile\u2019s Friday night homer trot.\n<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been somewhat uncharitable towards the Nationals pitching this season, so I\u2019m going to build off that outstanding Sunday shutout and take a look at one of the better finds so far, starter Foster Griffin. The 30-year-old Florida native spent the last three years pitching in Japan and came back with two new pitches, a splitter and a sweeper.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Griffin\u2019s fastball is suboptimal so having those two new pitches plus a sinker and a curve give him an arsenal that keeps batters guessing. He has a 3.05 ERA in 21 innings and a 19-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio which makes him the Nats\u2019 best or second-best pitcher so far, along with Cade Cavalli. Griffin takes the mound Tuesday night against the very talented Braves lineup. Here\u2019s hoping he keeps them guessing.<\/p>\n

All photos from John Canery, coalminephotography.com<\/p>\n


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