With fewer pitches, Jackson is finding more success

SAN DIEGO - If it's not the first line of Edwin Jackson's baseball-playing obituary, it won't be much farther down from the lede.

The most memorable game of Jackson's career, whenever it's finally over, almost certainly will be his June 25, 2010 no-hitter with the Diamondbacks. A no-hitter that included eight walks and a staggering 149 pitches.

That game, more than any other, has come to encapsulate Jackson's long career. He's always had some of the best stuff in the sport, but even at his best he's struggled to throw the ball over the plate enough to keep his pitch counts down.

Now consider what the 33-year-old right-hander did late Thursday night in the Nationals' 2-1 victory over the Padres. It's not just that he tossed seven innings of one-run ball. It's that he did it on only 83 pitches.

Eighty-three pitches in seven innings? Edwin Jackson?

"At the end of the day, it's about trusting your stuff, trusting what you have and letting your defense work behind you," he said. "We have a great defense. We have some guys who can make plays. You have to go out and put pressure on batters to put the ball in play."

Who knows if he'll be able to keep it up, but Jackson has somehow found a way to do just that in his six starts for the Nationals this summer. Signed to a minor league deal in June when he was out of work, promoted to the majors in July after Joe Ross had Tommy John surgery, he has become one of the biggest surprises of the season for the Nats.

Through six starts, Jackson is 4-2 with a 2.92 ERA. He has issued only eight walks in 37 innings, the lowest walk rate of his career by a longshot.

How has he, after years of inconsistency, done this?

"Number one, he's a great competitor," manager Dusty Baker said. "He finds a way to keep us in the ballgame. It looks like he's gaining more and more confidence, and he's getting more control of the strike zone. Because before, he would spray some balls, and his pitch count would get high and he wouldn't trust his defense."

That's not the case right now. Jackson isn't striking out a ton of batters - 29 in 37 innings - but he's throwing strike one and getting quick outs, something he rarely has been able to do in his career.

"I feel like when you're mechanically sound, it's a lot easier to do," Jackson said. "Once you have a feel for your body and a feel for what you're doing on the mound, it's a lot easier to go at it and consistently throw strikes. That's kind of been my thing: Have mechanics, have mechanics, lose it. Just ride the wave when you have it and try to remember that feeling and keep it out there."

Rarely does a pitcher who has been around as long as Jackson - 370 career appearances in 15 seasons for 12 different franchises - transform himself into a different pitcher at this point. And perhaps this is a mere blip and he'll revert to his old form soon enough.

But the Nationals do believe they're watching a different pitcher with Jackson right now than the one they saw for years with other clubs or even in 2012 when he last pitched for Washington.

"He's concentrating better and relaxing," Baker said. "Especially early in the at-bat. And you learn in time. If you don't learn and change your ways, you struggle forever. He's one of those guys that kind of reminds me of Dave Stewart, where he struggled for a while and had moments of greatness and then after a while you figure it out. And he's figured it out so far.

"What stands out to me is that his arm is still fresh and strong while he's figured it out. A lot of times, guys figure it out after they hurt their arms and they lose their stuff. But he's been fortunate enough to stay healthy and his arm is still fresh," Baker added.

Jackson's teammates are thrilled he has made the most of this surprise opportunity.

"I've known Edwin for a long time, known what kind of person he is and what kind of teammate he is," first baseman Ryan Zimmerman said. "You feel good for guys who get those chances, because I think he deserves it. He kind of grinded it out, went to the minor leagues, kept going and now he's come back and been a big part of this team since he's come back."