Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo is fond of saying that players will eventually perform to the back of their baseball card, meaning over the course of the season, teams and individuals will revert to their norm.
That has happened this week at Nationals Park, as Washington continues its rise while the Pittsburgh Pirates are falling back to their predicted place in the standings.
The latest example of “water seeks its own level” took place Thursday afternoon, as Nationals starter Jeremy Hellickson and four relievers combined to stymie the Pirates in a 3-1 victory before a sun-drenched crowd of 30,434.
Washington shortstop Trea Turner broke a scoreless tie with a two-run homer to left off Trevor Williams (4-2) in the last of the sixth. It was the second homer of the year for Turner and his first since March 31.
Two batters later Ryan Zimmerman went deep for a solo homer to make it 3-0 in a game that Bryce Harper (0-for-4, two lineouts) hit leadoff for the third straight time.
Washington (16-16) swept the four-game series and has won five games in a row after losing 16 of its previous 28.
The Pirates had posted a mark of 17-11 before the series while facing last-place clubs Cincinnati and Miami as well as Minnesota, which was 10-16. The Nationals, meanwhile, were 12-16 before the Pittsburgh series while opposing three teams who have been in first place of late: Arizona, Atlanta and the New York Mets.
Despite the early-season losses, starting pitching has been a constant for the Nationals and the latest to excel was Hellickson, who allowed no runs and three hits in 5 and two-thirds innings. Signed in the off-season, Hellickson went just 57 pitches before he was pulled in the fifth inning of Saturday’s home game with Arizona.
This time the Iowa native threw only 54 pitches while allowing no runs and two hits in the first five innings against the Pirates.
After a single to Corey Dickerson to start the second, Hellickson recorded 14 outs in a row, including a double-play grounder off the bat of Elias Diaz after the Dickerson hit.
But manager Dave Martinez is hesitant to allow Hellickson to face hitters for a third time. In his career, prior to Thursday, opposing players had a slugging percentage of .502 against him in their third at-bat of the game.
And sure enough, after leadoff man Adam Frazier singled in his third trip to the plate in the top of the sixth, Hellickson was taken out after 61 pitches. He was replaced by lefty winner Sammy Solis (1-1), who retired Gregory Polanco on a flyout to the sun field in right as Harper made the catch to end the frame.
The Nationals bullpen, well rested, shut down the Pirates as Brandon Kintzler pitched the seventh, Ryan Madson began the eighth and closer Sean Doolittle got five outs for the save. It was just the second win this year — the lowest mark in the majors — by the Washington bullpen.
The Pirates loaded the bases in the eighth, thanks in part to an error by Washington second baseman Howie Kendrick. That brought on Doolittle, who allowed a run on a groundout but retired the two batters he faced that inning and got three outs in the ninth.
Washington fans can only hope the Pittsburgh magic carries over to the hockey.
Martinez wore a Washington Capitals jersey and hat before the game. He attended a playoff game last week along with some players, and several of the Nationals have been cheering on the Capitals in their playoff series against Pittsburgh.
NOTES: Nationals lefty Gio Gonzalez (3-2, 2.67) will face Phillies righty Nick Pivetta (1-1, 3.27) on Friday at 7:05 p.m. at Nationals Park. Pivetta is a former Washington minor leaguer who was traded for Jonathan Papelbon in the ill-fated 2015 deal … The Washington Nationals Dream Foundation and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser will dedicate Bryce Harper Field on Saturday at the Takoma Community Center on Van Buren Street in Northwest at 10 a.m. … Zimmerman, the former University of Virginia standout, will host his ninth annual “A Night at the Park” on May 17 at Nationals Park to benefit the ziMS Foundation. His mother, Cheryl, was diagnosed with MS in 1995 … Third baseman Wilmer Difo reached base all three times and made it to first 12 times in the series.
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