Edwin Jackson provides boost again as Nats prevent series sweep

The Nationals got another major boost from veteran Edwin Jackson.

After signing June 16, Jackson returned to pitching for the Nats July 18 in a 4-3 win at Anaheim. He went seven innings that night and surrendered only two runs on three hits.

Then came an 8-0 setback against Milwaukee in which he gave up seven runs (three earned) in five innings for the loss.

Sunday night the Nats desperately needed innings after the bullpen had been taxed in Game 1 of a doubleheader when manager Dusty Baker had to employ four relievers.

Jackson came to the rescue with one of the best pitching performances of the year, lasting seven innings and allowing the big Rockies bats to muster only one run on four hits. The Nationals outlasted the Rockies 3-1 to split the doubleheader and salvage the final game of the three-game set.

After the 10-6 loss in Game 1, Jackson arrived knowing he needed to pile up some innings. The 15-year veteran used his cutter to perfection and didn't allow Colorado any sustained rallies.

"That was the main focus," Jackson said. "I knew today, after a tough first game, where the bullpen came in and picked up a lot of slack, it was imperative that I go out and eat innings and come out aggressive from the start and pick the bullpen up, because we definitely needed it. It's one of those days where, as a starter, I mean, you want to go deep in the game anyways, but it was just do or die, sort of, you know. You go out and eat up innings and save the bullpen."

Adam Lind's two-run shot and Brian Goodwin's solo homer produced the three runs the Nats needed to hold off the Rockies' sweep attempt. The Nats won the season series 4-3.

Jackson fired 112 pitches, 70 for strikes. He has lasted seven innings in each of his two wins with the Nats, reminding us of his successful run with the club back in 2012.

Jackson said his focus was to keep the ball down, something he admitted he wasn't able to do consistently in the loss to the Brewers.

"That's the key against any team," Jackson said. "You can see the last game, I didn't do that, and you can see the results. Today I was able to come out and be aggressive on the start and keep the ball down and not fall behind in the count, and that's the biggest difference. You come in and be the aggressor and make them put the ball in play."

Baker, always looking big picture, knows that, with three games in Miami, a day off and three games in Chicago, this game was crucial. He needed to be able to face off against the Marlins with most of his bullpen intact.

Seeing the 'pen have to go five innings in Game 1 was not ideal. Then Jackson goes out and pitches a seven-inning gem against the 60-win Rockies.

"It meant a lot," Baker said. "Now, we won the game today, but it put my bullpen back in relative shape tomorrow and the ensuing days. That was big. Now we can pitch and play three days to the next off-day on Thursday. That was big for us. Jackson was sharp, very sharp. Kept the ball down, had a good slider working today and he threw some changeups. (Pitching coach Mike Maddux has) been working with him with it. That would get him off his fastball and the slider. It was a really good game for him."

The changeup is key for any pitcher to be successful for long periods of time as a starter. It is a pitch that the Nationals' pitching coordinator, Paul Menhart, is always concentrating on with his young hurlers in the minor leagues. The changeup is just as important to a veteran such as Jackson.

"I threw a change up. It's just location. It was just the focus of the pitch, instead of leaving it up, just aim down on it," Jackson said. "But it's a pitch that I've used ... a pitch that I can definitely use more in the repertoire, and add it to the arsenal to get hitters off the fastball and cutters and the slider."

Now the Nats must decide what to do for a starter Wednesday in Game 3 against the Marlins. They could call up A.J. Cole or another current minor league starter, trade for a starter, or have Stephen Strasburg return.

Baker made it sound like they would prefer to give Strasburg another start off as he nurses a right elbow nerve impingement.

"We don't know exactly," Baker said. "We haven't decided. We don't really know if we want to bring Stras back into action right away. He said he's feeling pretty good. We want him to feel great. Right now we don't know."

Baker did confirm that when the dust settles they would like to place a starter between Erick Fedde and Jackson.

"We're gonna try to split 'em," Baker said. "We had it working earlier. We split guys that had a reputation of going deep in the game, followed by a guy that might not go as deep so you don't have to put as much pressure on your bullpen in consecutive days. So we'll figure out how to do that on the road."