Irvin delivers one final gem vs. Braves in a season full of them (updated)

Jake Irvin stood on the mound, the count full against the Braves’ toughest hitter, took a deep breath and then fired one last fastball on a night full of them. And when that 92 mph heater, above the zone and boring in on the hands, blew past a helpless Marcell Ozuna, the Nationals right-hander flexed his arms, roared with delight and hopped off the mound, knowing he had just completed yet another dominant start against a top opponent.

Irvin’s unlikely no-hit bid may have been thwarted two batters earlier when Atlanta finally notched its first base hit of the game, but that in no way diminished his overall performance during the Nats’ 5-1 victory on a gorgeous September evening on South Capitol Street.

With six nearly flawless innings, Irvin proved once again he could master the Braves lineup. Starting once in each of the four series between the two clubs this season, the 27-year-old finished with a sparkling 1.16 ERA, surrendering only 13 hits across 23 1/3 innings.

"Those guys get to see me a lot, but the role's reversed as well," he said. "Just understanding what those guys do and how we can best pitch around them and pitch to them, I think, helped out a lot."

In only one of those previous three head-to-head matchups had Irvin earned the win due to a recurring lack of run support. His teammates provided enough tonight, scoring four times against Max Fried, including the solo homer that propelled CJ Abrams into the 20/20 Club for the first time in his career.

And when Irvin was done after the sixth, the Nationals bullpen came through late to close out the game, with Derek Law pitching out of a seventh-inning jam, Jose A. Ferrer dialing it up to 100 mph to pitch out of an eighth-inning jam and Kyle Finnegan locking down the ninth in what became a non-save situation after the Nats added an insurance run.

The Nationals finished 8-5 against the Braves, the first time they've won a season series from the six-time division champs since 2017.

"It's awesome. Just a testament to what we're doing here," Irvin said. "We've got a young ballclub, and being able to take eight from that team in a season series is really special and something we can build momentum off going forward."

Irvin already entered this start with no shortage of confidence facing the Braves. In three prior matchups this season spanning 17 1/3 innings, he had allowed only two runs (and those both came late in his last appearance). So when he cruised through a quick top of the first on 15 pitches, there was little reason to bat an eyelash, as if this was somehow an unusual development.

But as the night proceeded and Irvin continued to record outs, it became apparent this could be a special night. He retired the side on 11 pitches in the second, then did it again on only eight pitches in the third despite striking out both Cavan Biggio and Gio Urshela in the process.

"When he's got that kind of command on his fastball, use it," manager Davey Martinez said. "And keep attacking the hitters. He was really good. They didn't have many good swings against him today."

Irvin took that message to heart, because he threw almost exclusively fastballs tonight. Only 10 of his 84 total pitches were curveballs (the pitch the Pirates battered around last week in Pittsburgh), with the other 74 all registered as some form of fastball (48 four-seamers, 25 sinkers, one cutter).

"The cardinal rule today was to avoid getting beat with the breaking ball, and establish the heater," Irvin said. "And I think we did a good job with both."

"The fastball was working really good for him tonight," catcher Keibert Ruiz said. "We recognized that. He recognized that. And we just kept doing it."

Atlanta finally got its first baserunner in the fourth, with Jorge Soler drawing a walk. But he was quickly erased when Irvin got Marcell Ozuna to ground into an inning-ending double play. And though Ramón Laureano also reached base in the fifth on a throwing error by Abrams, all that did was add a few extra pitches to Irvin’s already-low count.

The Nationals had taken a 4-0 lead by then, as well, rapping out a flurry of hits against Max Fried, including just enough timely ones to drive in teammates. They actually opened the game with nine of their first 14 batters reaching base, but even after all that scored only two runs, thanks to RBI singles by Dylan Crews and James Wood.

"I think everybody took good at-bats," said Ruiz, who went 2-for-4 with an RBI. "After a really tough game yesterday, we kept our heads up and came back today and won this one."

The big blast came in the fourth, a 420-foot blast to center by Abrams, who bounced that moon shot off the bullpen cart stationed well beyond the fence. It was his 20th homer of the season, which combined with his 28 stolen bases makes him only the fifth player in Nationals history to join the 20/20 Club, alongside Alfonso Soriano, Bryce Harper, Lane Thomas and Ian Desmond (three times).

"That's a heck of an accomplishment for a young player," Martinez said of the 23-year-old shortstop. "I'm really proud of him. He's been battling every day. To get that out of the way, maybe he can relax a little bit and finish up the season strong."

A run-scoring double play by Juan Yepez added another run in the fifth and gave Irvin some cushion as he took the mound again in pursuit of history.

The run at history ended three batters into the sixth, when Michael Harris II drove a 1-1 fastball to the gap in right-center for a two-out double, the Braves’ first hit of the night. Fans stood and applauded as Irvin tried to shrug it off and focus on the next batter. Soler, though, followed with a double of his own on a deep drive over Jacob Young’s head in center, getting Atlanta on the board.

"You try to block it out," Irvin said. "I knew it, unfortunately."

No matter, because Irvin finished off his night with a flourish. He struck out Ozuna with that aforementioned high fastball, exulted as he hopped off the mound and returned to the dugout to receive high-fives and handshakes after a job very well done.

"I think the biggest thing was to try to not feel any emotions, if that makes any sense," he said. "It was all about attacking and staying in the zone, for the focus of the week and of the start. And that shouldn't change just because they got a couple hits and that was the first time we had guys in scoring position all night."

What about the emotion Irvin finally showed after his final pitch?

"I tried not to," he said with a smirk and a shrug. "It was quick, but I tried not to."