Voth gets surprise start and delivers in 6-0 win over Mets

Right-hander Austin Voth was much more pleased with this outing against the Mets.

Back on July 14, Voth started and took the loss, going 4 1/3 innings and allowing seven runs on nine hits with three walks and three strikeouts. He needed 99 pitches to record 13 outs.

This time, Voth finished five innings on only 73 pitches, 49 for strikes. He allowed no runs on one hit with two walks and five strikeouts. It helped the Nationals to a 6-0 victory, Voth's first major league win.

"I felt comfortable this time around," Voth said. "Definitely, I felt awful after that first start. Didn't go the way I wanted to. I was motivated to do better this second time."

"I think the main thing was executing my pitches. In the first game against the Mets, I wasn't executing my pitches. I was up in the zone. My curveball was really on today. I think I was able to throw that in and out of the strike zone and that really helped me."

The Mets' best chance came in their first at-bat. Voth recorded two outs, including a looking strikeout of Brandon Nimmo, to begin the inning.

But then he walked Michael Conforto and Jay Bruce.

With two outs and two men on, Voth struck out Todd Frazier on a 92 mph four-seam fastball.

The Mets then went 1-2-3 against Voth in the next two innings.

After a leadoff single from Conforto in the fourth, Voth again recorded three straight outs.

He went 1-2-3 in the fifth, as well.

Voth set down 12 of the final 13 batters he faced.

"When he's on, he can throw his breaking ball for strikes," said manager Davey Martinez. "His cutter for strikes, everything. He kept the ball down, elevating when he needed to, but he was really good. Throwing strikes. Limit the walks. But he was really, really crisp."

Trea Turner had a big offensive day, going 2-for-3 with a double, two-run homer and two runs scored. He also stole his 41st base on the season and matched Ian Desmond's team record of 122 stolen bases.

The home run was his 18th of the season, building on a career high. His 25 doubles are also a career-high total. But Turner believes he could have been even more consistent if you look at the whole season.

"If you at the whole picture, sure. But there's been games or weeks or stretches where I could have done a lot better from whatever standpoint," Turner said. "I don't know necessarily power, but hitting in general. That's why this game is so hard. But you continue to work. Got what seven or eight more games to try to get better."

Matt Wieters launched a three-run shot in the sixth off of left-hander Jerry Blevins that provided insurance and built the advantage to 5-0. It was his seventh homer of the season.

"He always mixes fastball, curveball," Wieters said. "So there's such a big speed differential. You got to be ready for the fastball to be able to stay back and I felt like I just missed a heater the pitch before. And then wanted to make sure I got more on time on the heater and was able to get the second one."

The club improved to 78-77, but earlier in the day the Braves clinched the National League East crown. It's the first time since 2015 the Nats will not represent the division in the postseason.

"It's something where, as a team and as a man, we came in ready to play every day," Wieters said. "We just didn't play well this year. It's something to where we felt like we had the talent in the clubhouse and we still feel like we have the talent in the clubhouse. We just didn't play well enough and that's why this game is played on the field and not in the papers, and that's what's great about it."