Washington Nationals news & notes: Jake Irvin tosses eight scoreless; Jesse Winker home run beats Mets, 1-0…

Notes and quotes from the 4th of July in the nation’s capital…

Jake Irvin finished his six-inning, 96-pitch outing last week in Tampa Bay with a low 3.03 ERA, a 3.53 FIP, and a .224/.276/.382 line against in 17 starts and 98 IP in which he walked 23 (2.11 BB/9) and struck out 86 (7.90 K/9).

It’s a continuation, his manager said after the start against the Rays, of the growth Irvin showed towards the end of his 2023 run.

“We saw it toward the end of last year,”Davey Martinez told reporters. “We talked to him about building off of that. He had a little hiccup in Spring Training, but all in all, I still said this kid’s going to be okay. Because he listens, he wants learn, he wants to get better. He’ll take this outing, and learn from that and keep moving forward.

“I talk about him, but a lot of our young starters are doing the same thing. And they feed off each other, so it’s great.”

Martinez was asked if Irvin has done well enough this season to earn consideration as a potential All-Star later this month.

“I think a lot of our guys should be All-Stars, I really do, but I hope he gets an opportunity to,” the skipper said. “He’s definitely done well. He’s kept us in every ballgame, and he’s been phenomenal.”

Irvin declined to entertain the idea of an All-Star nod when asked if he’d earned a spot.

“Ha, I’m not going to answer that,” Irvin said, as quoted by MASN’s Mark Zuckerman. “No, no. Kyle Finnegan’s really good.”

Irvin was really good on Thursday, tossing eight scoreless and giving up just one hit in the outing, with one walk, eight Ks, 99 pitches, 70 strikes, 15 swinging strikes (seven with his curveball, six on his 4-seamer, and two on his sinker, and 23 called strikes (13 on his curve, four on his fastball, and six on his sinker).

Irvin gave up the walk with one out in the second, stranded that runner two outs later, and allowed the only hit he surrendered with one out in the third, but he retired the next two in that innings, and then 15 more to finish up his outing with 17 in-a-row set down in a start to remember on the 4th of July in the nation’s capital.

It was still 0-0 when he was done with the eighth, however, striking out the final batter he faced with a high fastball, and he pumped up the crowd as he left the mound for the last time, then Jesse Winker stepped in as a pinch hitter with one out in the home eighth and sent 1-0 fastball up and in 407 ft. to right field for a solo shot and a 1-0 lead which held up when Derek Law, closing it out with Kyle Finnegan, Hunter Harvey, and Robert Garcia all unavailable, earned the save with a 1-2-3 frame in which he struck out two. 1-0 final.

“I felt like we needed a little bit of energy,” Irvin said of his actions as he left the field.

“And you know, in those moments, you don’t really plan for something like that. It just kind of happens. Put up a run, won the game. That’s pretty cool.”

“For him to go out there and do what he did today, especially an early game like today, says a lot about his character. He got himself ready, he was ready to go, and he put the team on his back,” Martinez said after the win, which earned the Nationals a split of the 4-game set with the Mets.

For Irvin to give the Nats the outing he did, when they really needed it, really meant a lot to the club and its manager.

“That was unbelievable, it really was,” Martinez said. “He was good all day. Mixed his pitches up really well. But kept those guys off-balance. His fastball was really good today. We definitely needed that. We really did. Was hoping to score some runs for us, and fortunately WInker with the big home run to give him one run, but it was fantastic. It was fun to watch him.”

Winker was eager to get the opportunity.

“He was biting at the bit, I can tell you that,” Martinez said. “He said, ‘I’ll be ready.’ I said, ‘Oh, I know you’re going to be ready.’ But to come up there and do what he did, it’s awesome.

“Big win for us.”

Winker said he wanted to go out there and get one for Irvin.

“It’s so inspiring,” Winker said, as quoted by MASN’s Mark Zuckerman of Irvin’s start.

“You just want to get him a run. And I was happy we were able to do it. That was a great game, a great series.”

Irvin said it meant even more for him to do it at home in D.C. on the 4th of July.

“It means a heck of a lot more on the Fourth of July, I can tell you that,” he told reporters.

“It was a cool accomplishment. It was a fun day. And [catcher] Riley [Adams] and I were on the same page all day — big props to him, he called a fantastic game.”

Irvin finished seven on 90 pitches, and with the starter rolling, Martinez sent him back out for the eighth and he wrapped things up with a quick, nine-pitch, 1-2-3.

“After the seventh he still looked strong, looked good,” Martinez explained when asked if he even considered Irvin in the ninth.

“He came out. he’s fired up, when he started fist-pumping and everything, that’s a [tell-tale sign] he’s done. But what a great performance.”

“Went out there for the eighth,” Martinez added, “… he was about at 100 pitches, and we thought that was it. No matter what. That was good. it’s hot. We know he sweats a lot, but he was nails.”