#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Gonzalez shuts down Brew Crew at home

What more can be said about the season Gio Gonzalez had in 2017? The Nationals left-hander posted one of the best seasons of his career and one of the most consistent in all of baseball last year. He finished the year 15-9 with a 2.96 ERA (the second-best of his career) and continued to prove his durability by amassing 201 innings in 32 starts.

The thing about Gonzalez last year is that while he was not as flashy as Max Scherzer or Stephen Strasburg, he got the job done on a nightly basis. Which is why almost any of his starts is a safe bet for Bob Carpenter to highlight from his scorebook on Twitter (@scorebook_bob) and for us to feature as part of our Throwback Thursday series.

This week's comes from Gonzalez's start against the Brewers on July 26 at Nats Park.

Gio shuts down power-packed Brew Crew, Murph jacks #17 and the Nats score 7 in the 8th.
WSH 8 MIL 5 July 26 pic.twitter.com/7OQHqg4h8V

-- Bob Carpenter (@scorebook_bob) January 15, 2018

As you can see, Gonzalez put together a strong outing and gave the Nats a chance to win against the Brewers' powerful lineup. The lefty struck out eight over seven innings of two-run ball, keeping the Nationals within striking distance. And thanks to a seven-run eighth inning, they were able to rally past the Brew Crew for an 8-5 win.

Be sure to give Bob a follow on Twitter for more of his favorite Nationals moments from last year and check out the "Nationals Classics" airing on MASN this week, including an historic game against the Brewers the day after Gonzalez's outing:

Thursday, Jan. 18, 9 a.m. - May 4 is an exciting day for any Star Wars fan, and boy, was the Force strong with Wilson Ramos back in 2012. In the 11th inning of a tied game, Ramos came on as a pinch-hitter and delivered a walk-off RBI single for a 4-3 win over the Phillies.

Friday, Jan. 19, 7 p.m. - In a preview of the eventual National League Division Series matchup, Matt Wieters delivered a clutch grand slam at Wrigley Field on Aug. 6, as the Nats rallied past the Cubs for a 9-4 victory. Amazingly enough, that wasn't even the most clutch grand slam hit by a National at Wrigley last year ...

Saturday, Jan. 20, 7:30 p.m. - Stephen Drew played a major role off the bench for the Nats in 2016. On July 23 of that year, he delivered a walk-off RBI triple for a 3-2 win over the Padres.

Sunday, Jan. 21, 9 a.m. - If football isn't your thing, we've got a tripleheader of classics lined up on Championship Sunday. First, wake up and have your coffee while watching Bryce Harper collect his first walk-off hit, an RBI single for a 7-6 win over the Mets in 10 innings on June 5, 2012.

Sunday, Jan. 21, 1:30 p.m. - Let's continue with Harper firsts. On April 14, 2016, the reigning NL MVP hit his first grand slam, becoming the eighth-youngest player in major league history to reach 100 home runs.

Sunday, Jan. 21, 6:30 p.m. - Finally, to wrap up the weekend, watch the Nationals blast eight home runs against the Brewers on a record-setting day for a 15-2 victory on July 27, 2017.