Three Major Things Stood Out When Nationals Won Weekend Series Against Braves
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The Washington Nationals took two out of three against the Atlanta Braves.
Considering the same Braves team went into Nationals Park and won three out of four about a month ago, it was huge to see the Nationals respond with a series win of their own over the best team in baseball. And truth be told, Washington should should have swept this set based on the way things shook out in Game 1.
Regardless, this was a great result for the Nationals. There were plenty of notable things that took place during this matchup. However, three stood out across these three games.
Pitching Staff Was Dominant
This was the best pitching performance all season for Washington. They held the high-powered offense of the Braves to just six total runs. And when taking out what was scored in extra innings on May 22, Atlanta was only able to scrape three runs across the plate.
What's a positive sign is that both Miles Mikolas and Jake Irvin had their best outings of the year. Mikolas, who came in behind an opener during that May 22 game, threw five scoreless innings. Irvin had a ho-hitter through five innings before an injury caused him to be pulled and later placed on the injured list. And in the finale, Foster Griffin bounced back with six scoreless where he allowed only three hits.
The bullpen still showed some cracks, and it ultimately cost them a sweep since they weren't able to hold onto a late lead in the opener. However, the pitching staff has made notable improvements compared to the beginning of the season. And that was on display during this weekend series.
Offense Was Quiet
It hasn't happened often this year, but the Nationals' lineup was shut down. There's no shame in that considering they were facing a Braves team that entered this set with the best ERA in the majors. But it was surprising to see one of the best offenses in baseball not produce.
Across these three games, Washington only scored eight total runs. And when excluding what was scored in extra innings, that number dipped to six. It was an uncharacteristic performance from the lineup, as they could not capitalize throughout the weekend by going 4-for-26 with runners in scoring position and leaving 23 on base.
Cold streaks are going to come over the course of the long season, so a low-scoring output across three games isn't a big deal. But it could be something to keep an eye on as they close out the month of May.
Blake Butera Used Richard Lovelady as a Swiss Army Knife
Perhaps the most notable thing that stood out during this series was how manager Blake Butera used left-handed pitcher Richard Lovelady.
In Game 1, he opened ahead of Mikolas. In Game 2, he was brought in with the Nationals owning a 2-0 lead in the ninth inning and he recorded the save. And in the finale, Butera sent Lovelady out there to record another save before the skipper called upon Orlando Ribalta to close it.
It will be interesting to see if Butera continues to deploy Lovelady in these different situations. The lefty has thrived so far with Washington, and if he is able to maintain his success while being used as an opener at times and as a high-leverage arm at others, then that will be a huge plus for this bullpen.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai