Irvin dominates, Winker delivers as Nats win 1-0 (Meneses optioned to Triple-A)

More than three months into this season, it has become clear the Nationals trust Jake Irvin. And with the stars perfectly aligned today, they trusted their young right-hander more than ever before.

And thanks to one – and only one – big hit from his teammates, Irvin and the Nats emerged victorious on Independence Day in the nation’s capital.

Irvin completed eight innings for the first time in his career, allowing one hit, one walk and nothing else on a day when the Nationals bullpen was severely depleted and needed everything it could get from the 27-year-old starter. And when Jesse Winker blasted a pinch-hit homer in the bottom of the eighth, they had the only run they needed to pull off an inspired, 1-0 victory over the Mets.

"That was unbelievable, it really was," manager Davey Martinez said. "We definitely needed that."

Held to four singles by New York starter Jose Quintana, the Nationals finally broke through in the bottom of the eighth against reliever Adrian Houser. With a right-hander finally on the mound, Martinez sent Winker up to pinch-hit for Harold Ramírez, then watched the veteran blast a 1-0 curveball to right-center for the day’s first and only run and some long-awaited support for his starting pitcher.

"It's so inspiring," Winker said of Irvin's start. "You just want to get him a run. And I was happy we were able to do it. That was a great game, a great series."

And with Kyle Finnegan, Hunter Harvey and Robert Garcia all unavailable after pitching each of the last three nights, it was Derek Law making an unexpected ride in on the bullpen cart, holding an American flag, for the top of the ninth. The veteran middleman proceeded to retire the side with a pair of strikeouts, drawing a roar from the crowd of 34,394 that only had to watch for 1 hour, 58 minutes on a muggy Independence Day.

"Obviously, I was pumped up," Law said of watching Winker's home from a close vantage point in the bullpen. "But I was locked into what I had to do. So I didn't really get to enjoy it as much as probably everyone else did. It's kind of a little side fist-pump, then get back on the mound and do what you've got to do."

The star of the show, though was Irvin, who made one final, strong case for a spot in the All-Star Game before rosters are announced Sunday. He now ranks fifth in the National League in ERA (2.80), sixth in WHIP (1.000) and fourth in innings pitched (106).

"It's just another step," he said. "We're trying to move forward every day. And right now, it's all about improving, trying to get better and doing that as a team. And I think we're doing a good job of that."

Among Irvin’s many strong qualities to date this season has been his ability to keep his pitch count down and consistently go deeper in games than almost everyone else in the Nationals rotation. He entered the day with 12 starts of at least six innings, even though he had only topped the 100-pitch mark three times.

And if ever there was a day when the Nats needed their starter to go deep, this was it. Three top relievers (Finnegan, Harvey, Garcia) all figured to be unavailable after pitching each of the previous three nights. This game was going to belong to Irvin, provided he did his part to deserve staying out there.

And that’s exactly what he did, setting the tone with a 13-pitch, 11-strike top of the first and never letting up after that. He issued a one-out walk in the second, then a one-out single in the third, but neither so much as made a dent in his overall performance.

Irvin retired the side in the fourth, the fifth and the sixth, and with his pitch count still only 80, there was no reason for anybody in the right-field bullpen to move.

He retired the side again in the seventh, earning the chance to return for the eighth for the first time in his career. And when he retired the side one last time, striking out Tyrone Taylor on his 99th pitch of the day for his 17th consecutive out, he bellowed with joy and then pumped up the crowd as he hopped off the mound, extending his arms out and soaking it all in.

"I felt like we needed a little bit of energy," Irvin said. "In those moments, you don't really plan for something like that. It just kind of happens. We put up a run, won the game. That's pretty cool."

"That last inning he threw, it kind of got me fired up," Law said. "It was huge, just as a team for the bullpen, obviously we had a couple guys down today. ... Doing something like that, especially with the stretch (of 17 straight games) coming up to the break, is just huge for the team."

Martinez said he didn't consider sending Irvin back out there for a shot at a complete game. The right-hander completely understood, given how much energy he expended during (and after) the top of the eighth.

"Make no mistake, I would've loved the ninth," he said. "But after you do something like that, you kind of give the manager no choice."

The only problem, and it was a familiar one for Irvin: No run support. The Nationals had scored two or fewer runs in 10 of his previous 17 starts, and they were up to their old tricks again today.

They had more chances to score against Quintana than the Mets had against Irvin, but they couldn’t convert any of them. Ramírez and Joey Meneses stranded Lane Thomas in scoring position in the first. Ramirez stranded Thomas again in the third. Then with two on and one out in the fifth, CJ Abrams struck out on a breaking ball and Thomas grounded to third on the next pitch.

James Wood did his part once again, drawing his fourth walk in four games and notching his fourth single in four games. But the 21-year-old never advanced past first base because Nick Senzel made outs each time behind him.

"We hit the ball well," Martinez said. "We just couldn't get nothing."

No matter, because there was one big blast still to come from someone else. And on a day when the Nats’ starting pitcher was brilliant, that’s all they needed.

"He's an All-Star, man," Winker said. "The guy prepares every single day. ... It was a privilege to watch him."

Note: The Nationals announced after the game they have optioned Joey Meneses to Triple-A Rochester, signaling growing frustration with the first baseman's lack of production.

Meneses went 0-for-4 today, bringing his offensive slash line down to a dismal .231/.291/.306 with three homers and 43 RBIs. It's the first time the 32-year-old has been sent to the minors since making his major league debut Aug. 2, 2022, as Juan Soto's roster replacement, at which point he unexpectedly took off and became a late-blooming sensation.

Meneses' production has steadily dropped since then, though, and despite a few periods when it appeared he was getting hot this season, he hadn't been able to sustain it.

The Nationals didn't announce a corresponding roster move yet. With Joey Gallo still on the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain and having not yet begun a rehab assignment, they could use some combination of Winker, Ramirez and Riley Adams at first base in the meantime. If they decide to promote Triple-A first baseman Juan Yepez or outfielder Travis Blankenhorn, they would need to clear a 40-man roster spot, but they could do so by transferring injured right-hander Josiah Gray from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL.