Ross impresses in first major league win (Harper injury update)

After a couple of weeks of erratic baseball, the Nationals seemed to rally around right-hander Joe Ross in a dominant and complete effort to help the rookie nab his first career major league win in a 7-2 victory over the Brewers.

Milwaukee scored two on Ross in the second, but that was it as the 22-year-old went on to blank them for the next six frames while allowing seven hits with one walk and eight strikeouts over eight innings in just his second big league start.

"It's not easy," Nationals manager Matt Williams told reporters after the game. "He doesn't know these guys. He's throwing it where he wants to. That's the most important thing. Down in the zone, quality strikes down. He got some ground balls today. He pitched really well."

Ross joined Max Scherzer (twice) and Jordan Zimmermann as the only Nationals starters to pitch eight full innings this year.

"I felt good," Ross said to reporters after the game." I was kinda feeling for my breaking balls - slider and changeup - early on. And then from the fifth or sixth inning, it felt a lot more comfortable, like I could throw it where I wanted to. A lot of strikes. I didn't walk anyone until the second to last batter, I think, so that helped with pitch count definitely."

Ross faced 51 batters over his two starts before issuing his first career walk to Brewers first baseman Adam Lind with two outs in the seventh. That sets a new Nationals record (2005-present).

"I'm impressed with how he throw today," Wilson Ramos said on MASN's "Nats Xtra". "Everything was working. He attacked the hitters. Today was an amazing game for him."

"We stayed on the same page. That's the most important thing."

Not only was Ross' start impressive, but it was almost necessary after Williams was forced to use four different relievers on Friday night from a bullpen that has already been worn out lately.

"That's good to give the bullpen a little bit of rest," Williams told reporters. "It's been taxed lately, so good lengthy start for Joe, and Casey (Janssen) came in there and kept his pitches down too, which is good. Freshen up a little bit."

The Nationals finally showed some consistent offense from the start tonight. Anthony Rendon and Yunel Escobar delivered consecutive one-out base knocks in the first before Bryce Harper drove in the game's first run on a line drive that fell in to left.

"The singles with guys in scoring position are huge," Williams said to reporters. "You're gonna hit a homer every once in a while, but to be able to put those back-to-back-to-back hits together, especially leading off the first, is important for us to jump out to a lead and let Joe settle in a little bit."

Harper ended up 3-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs on the night to up his season batting average to .343. But in his last plate appearance in the ninth, Harper was nailed on the inside of his leg by a blistering 95 mph fastball from Brewers right-hander Michael Blazek. Harper was hobbled and left the game, heading for the clubhouse.

"He got it right in the quad, right above the knee, so we wanted to make sure that given the state of that game, get him out and get some ice on it right away and hopefully he's good to go tomorrow," Williams told reporters.

Escobar bombed a two-run homer in the third to give the Nats the lead they wouldn't relinquish.

Ramos added his fifth home run of the year on a two-run shot to right that was part of a three-run fifth inning for the Nats.

Scherzer heads to the hill tomorrow to try to salvage a split for the Nats in Milwaukee.