Nats complete first sweep since 2021 with win over Giants (updated)

It was not a taboo word around the Nationals clubhouse. In fact, in talking to members of the team before today’s finale against the Giants, no one was really too concerned about it.

But it had to be noted how long it has been since the Nationals last swept a three-game series. You have to go back more than two years to June 14-16, 2021 against the Pirates for the last time they accomplished that feat. And per STATS, the Nats have not swept a series in their last 96 attempts, which is the longest streak of series without a sweep in major league history after passing the Philadelphia Athletics’ 89 straight series without a sweep between 1914-1917.

Alas, they finally did it, sweeping the Giants in three games this weekend with a 6-1 win this afternoon in front of 23,404 fans at Nats Park.

"This weekend we played like I thought we'd play throughout," said manager Davey Martinez after the game. "With a lot of energy, it was a lot of fun. It was a great weekend for us. So I was proud of the boys. You saw us go first to the third, you saw us turn double plays when we needed to, make some good plays, steal some bases, get big outs. Everybody was on point. So it was a fun weekend.”

As they did in each of the past two nights, the Nats jumped out to an early lead and didn’t look back, the new top of the lineup once again leading the charge.

“We just go out there and play hard," the skipper said. "Look, we've won quite a few series already thus far. And the goal is to come out and try to win the first game of each series and go from there and we'll see what happens. So to come out and win all three against a really good team, it's very rewarding to this guy. Like I said, they played with their hair on fire this weekend and it was a lot of fun.”

After it’s mostly been the CJ Abrams Show as the new leadoff man, Lane Thomas, now in the No. 2 hole, reminded everyone that he is still one of the most prolific offensive players on this team.

“I felt good," Thomas said. "Just trying to be aggressive and it's easy when MacKenzie's going out there and getting quick outs and getting us back in the dugout. It helps those day games, especially getting out of the sun quicker, so props to him.”

Thomas delivered the first of 11 hits by the Nats offense this afternoon in the bottom of the first and then stole second base. Then Joey Meneses’ single past shortstop Casey Schmitt knocked Giants opener Scott Alexander after just 16 pitches.

Veteran right-hander Anthony DeSclafani entered from manager Gabe Kapler’s bullpen, but immediately walked Stone Garrett to load the bases for Dominic Smith. The Nats first baseman delivered with a two-run single to right for a quick 2-0 lead.

Thomas then led off the third inning with a single up the middle and stole second and third to get into scoring position for Garrett. The hulking left fielder hit a double the other way to score Thomas and make it a 3-0 lead.

“Oh, man, I told him today, I said, 'You're a five-tool player. You did it all, so good for you.' Man, outstanding," Martinez said. "He was all in. He's been that way all year, really. He's played really hard all year for us.”

After an Abrams sacrifice fly in the fourth, Thomas smoked an RBI double to left field to make it 5-0 and, wouldn’t you know it, stole third base again, his fourth swiped bag of the afternoon in just four innings.

“I just do what they tell me to," Thomas said of his stolen bases. "He gave me the steel sign, I ran, so luckily I will safe."

Is that how it works? Just like that?

"That's how it works, yeah," he said. "It's why they give signs. That's exactly right.”

But some guys go on their own ...

“Some guys are on their own. Yeah, sometimes," he said. "But I wasn't today. … Props to Davey.”

Thomas' four stolen bases matched a Nationals (2005-present) record for stolen bases in a game, tying Trea Turner twice (June 18, 2017 at the Mets and June 27, 2017 against the Cubs) and Michael A. Taylor (June 17, 2018 at the Blue Jays).

“Yeah, I think it's a cool stat," said Thomas. "I think it's, (Jeimer Candelario) is a really good hitter and they were more worried about him than me. So it gets you an opportunity to be aggressive and get a bag and maybe give him a chance to drive a run in. So it was good.”

"It's a lot of fun," Martinez said. "He's gonna be exhausted. I'll tell you that tonight he'll sleep good. He came out today and he did everything. Ran the bases well, got some big hits for us, played great defense. But like I said, he's been doing that all year for us.”

Riley Adams, who showed off his wheels by scoring on Abrams’ shallow sac fly to right in the prior inning, showed off his strength by hitting his fourth homer of the season in the fifth, just barely getting over the fence in right field, and a 6-0 lead.

DeSclafani was charged with four runs on eight hits over 4 ⅓ innings and 78 pitches. Although not the official starter of the game, he was the one who mostly went head-to-head with MacKenzie Gore.

The young Nats southpaw had a solid afternoon though it was just short of a quality start. His only clean inning came in his last, giving up at least one baserunner in each of his first four frames.

“Solid. Got through five," Gore said. "We got some strikeouts and the bullpen did a great job and the offense did again.”

The biggest scare came in the top of the fourth, when the Nationals only had a 3-0 lead. Gore gave up back-to-back hits to start the inning with two runners in scoring position and no outs. But he came right back to strike out Mike Yastrzemski on a 95-mph fastball up in the zone and David Villar looking at a 91-mph slider down and in before getting Schmitt to fly out to Thomas, who made a nice sliding catch.

“Just one pitch at a time," Gore said. "So yeah, just one pitch at a time. And we got counts we could get strikeouts there, and that was big.”

Gore finished his five scoreless innings with four hits, two walks and eight strikeouts on 90 pitches, 56 for strikes. Though we saw Martinez push Jake Irvin to 111 on Friday, with a big lead this afternoon, the skipper saw no reason to push his prized lefty any further.

“I really thought at that particular moment that was it for him. He was good," Martinez said. "I talked to him and he said that he was good. So that was the decision. I wasn't gonna send him back out there after, like I said five days ago he went over 100 for us, I thought this was sufficient.”

And though he put up five zeros, Gore surely will find some things to nitpick about this outing and gave all credit to his teammates.

“You can't say enough good things about the group of guys in here," he said. "This series was great. We've been playing hard and doing things the right way. And we just finally got some results this series, where we win all three. All the other credit goes to these guys in here. They've been doing it the right way and it was fun to just be a part of it.”

But there won’t be much for the Nationals to nitpick about this weekend, in which they outscored the Giants 21-5. Maybe Joc Pederson’s pinch-hit home run off Amos Willingham to lead off the seventh and ruin the Nats’ shutout bid.

Even so, now they can finally use that magical “S” word in a positive light for the first time in 768 days.

"I think it shows what this team can do when everybody's on the same page and doing their job that day," Thomas said. "So it's been a really good series for us and gave us some confidence going into the Rockies series.”

“We got to continue to play with that energy," Martinez said. "And not stop here. Come back tomorrow and go 1-0 tomorrow.”