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Nationals 7-0 over Braves for sweep of three-game set in Nats Park

The Washington Nationals swept their second straight series and swept three straight from the Atlanta Braves for the second time this season with a 7-0 win today in the nation's capital. Doug Fister dominated the Braves. SWEEEEEP!!

By Patrick Reddington

5. Fister vs Atlanta: Doug Fister's return to the Washington Nationals' rotation, after over a month on the DL, went well for five innings, over which he gave just one earned run, but the Nats' right-hander gave up a home run, three singles and three runs while he was on the mound in the sixth, with Bryce Harper injuring his hamstring on a throw home on the third hit.

"Throwing the ball where he wants to throw it, working fast like he always does, throwing strikes, getting a lot of grounders is the plan." - Matt Williams on the plan for Doug Fister vs ATL

The runner he left on when he was replaced on the hill ended up scoring when right-hander Blake Treinen took over against Tampa Bay, so Fister ended up being charged with five earned runs in 5 ⅓ innings pitched against the Rays in what ended up a 5-3 loss.

The most important takeaway, Nats' skipper Matt Williams said, was that Fister, who was placed on the Disabled List with forearm tightness related to a flexor strain, came through the outing healthy and feeling no pain.

"He's alright, came out of it fine," Williams told reporters.

"He was fine till the last inning, they got to him in the last inning and then, you know, the play unfolded in right [field]. So, other than that I thought he battled when he went out there, threw strikes."

The loss left Fister (2-3) on the year after eight starts, with a 4.80 ERA, 4.64 FIP, 10 walks (2.00 BB/9) and 21 Ks (4.20 K/9) in 45 IP over which opposing hitters have a .293/.337/.467 line against.

His second start off the DL was his third against Atlanta this season.

In his previous two outings against the Braves, the sinker-balling Nats' right-hander was (0-1) with a 5.11 ERA and a .340/.365/.468 line against in 12 ⅓ IP.

Fister took the mound this afternoon and retired the side in order in a quick, 16-pitch, 1-2-3 first. Given a 1-0 lead to work with, Fister worked around a one-out single to right by Joey Terdoslavich for a scoreless 19-pitch second that left him at 35 total after two.

Pedro Ciriaco reached on a swinging bunt in the first at bat of the third, but Matt Wisler bunted Ciriaco over/gave up an out, Jace Peterson went down swinging at a 3-2 curve, and Cameron Maybin chased a 3-2 slider out of the zone for out no.3 of an 18-pitch frame. 53 total for Fister after three scoreless.

With the Nationals up 6-0, Fister set the Braves down in order in another quick frame in the fourth. The seven-pitch inning left him at 60 total after four scoreless.

A leadoff single to right by Kelly Johnson and a HBP on Jonny Gomes put two on with no one out in the Braves' fifth. Pedro Ciriaco sent a fly to Denard Span in center that allowed Johnson to take third, but a double play grounder off pinch hitter Eury Perez's bat ended a 13-pitch frame. 6-4-3. 73 total.

Denard Span made a charging, sliding catch to take a low liner off the top of the grass and rob Jace Peterson for the first out of the sixth. Cameron Maybin lined a double to left-center with one down, but Nick Markakis sent a soft pop to short right for out no.2 and A.J. Pierzynski grounded into the fifth to end a 21-pitch frame. 94 total.

Jonny Gomes took the first walk of the game from Fister with two down in the top of the seventh, but a flyout to center by Pedro Ciriaco ended the Nats' starter's seventh scoreless frame. 17-pitch frame. 111 total.

• Doug Fister's Line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 Ks, 111 P, 72 S, 5/8 GO/FO.

4. Wisler no.2: Acquired along with minor league outfielder Jordan Paroubek and major league outfielders Carlos Quentin and Cameron Maybin this Spring in the trade that sent Craig Kimbrel and Melvin Upton to San Diego, Matt Wisler, a 2011 7th Round pick out of high school in Bryan, Ohio, was the top-rated pitcher in the Padres' system on Baseball America's list of the Top 10 prospects when it was released this winter.

After pitching at Double-A and Triple-A in San Diego's system in 2014 and going (10-5) with a 4.46 ERA, 42 walks (2.58 BB/9) and 136 Ks (8.35 K/9) in 146 ⅔ IP, Wisler was (3-4) at Triple-A Gwinnett in Atlanta's system with a 4.29 ERA before the Braves called him up to make his MLB debut last Friday night.

Wisler, 22, went eight strong on just 88 pitches, giving up just six hits and one earned run in a 2-1 win over the New York Mets. He was the first Braves' starter to earn a win in his first career outing since Kenshin Kawakami in April of 2009 (against Washington) and the first since John Smoltz in 1988 to go eight innings while allowing one run or less in his MLB debut.

His second major league start this afternoon in the nation's capital began with a single to right by Denard Span, who took second on Nick Markakis' first error in 398 games. Span moved to third on a sac bunt by Danny Espinosa and then scored when Yunel Escobar grounded out to second, 1-0. 17-pitch frame.

Wilson Ramos doubled to center to start the Nats' second, taking an 0-1 fastball back up the middle. Ian Desmond reached on an error by Braves' third baseman Kelly Johnson that allowed Ramos to score, 2-0.

Desmond took second on the E:5, and scored one out later on an RBI double to center by Michael Taylor, 3-0. 21-pitch second for Wisler, 38 total after two.

Yunel Escobar doubled to center with one down in the Nats' third and scored from second on an RBI single to center by Clint Robinson that made it 4-0. The call at home was reviewed and upheld. One out later, Ian Desmond hit HR no.6 out to right field and over the out-of-town scoreboard. 6-0 Nationals. 25-pitch frame, 63 total after three.

Doug Fister and Danny Espinosa singled in the fourth, but a 6-4-3 DP got Wisler out of a 12-pitch frame that left him at 75 total.

• Matt Wisler's Line: 4.0 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 0 Ks, 1 HR, 75 P, 46 S, 7/2 GO/FO.

3. Random Game Notes: After Jordan Zimmermann's eight scoreless last night vs the Braves, Nationals' starters as a group have a streak of 34 ⅓ scoreless innings going, dating back to last Friday's game against the Pirates.

• With the Nationals' win last night, they improved to 7-1 against the Braves this season, 5-0 in D.C. and 2-1 in Turner Field. A win today would give them their second series sweep against Atlanta after they took three straight from May 8-10th. They're also 14-5 in their last 19 games their NL East division rivals, with 9 wins in their last 10.

• The Braves have lost eight straight overall in Nationals Park going back to last season.

• The Nationals haven't swept two series with the Braves in one season since 2008.

• The Braves are just 1-5 in one run games this season after last night's 2-1 loss.

• Nick Markakis extended his major league leading error-less streak in the outfield to 398 games last night, but that streak ended on the first ball hit his way in the bottom of the first.

• Denard Span, who was 0 for 3 with two walks in last night's win, extended his streak of games in which he's reached base to 17 straight. A single in the first gave Span an 18-game on-base streak.

2. Turning Point(s): Nick Markakis misplayed Denard Span's line drive single to right in the first at bat of the Nats' first, and Span took third on a bunt by Danny Espinosa before scoring on a groundout to the right side by Yunel Escobar to give the Nationals a 1-0 lead after one.

• Another error set the Nationals up with two more runs in the second. Wilson Ramos doubled and scored on a throw by first by Kelly Johnson on an Ian Desmond grounder and Desmond took second on the E:5 before scoring one out later on an RBI double to center by Michael Taylor.

• Yunel Escobar doubled to center and scored on an RBI single by Clint Robinson, and Robison got to take the easy way home when Ian Desmond hit his sixth home run of the season over the out-of-town scoreboard in right for a two-run blast that made it 6-0 Nationals in the third.

1. The Wrap-Up: Braves' righty David Aardsma took over on the mound for Matt Wisler in the bottom of the fifth. Clint Robinson lined a single to right in the first at bat. Tyler Moore took a two-out walk with Robinson on third, but a force at second a Michael Taylor grounder ended a scoreless frame.

Aardsma came back out for more in the bottom of the sixth, and retired the Nationals in order. Another scoreless frame in the seventh pushed Aardsma up to 37 pitches in three scoreless.

Blake Treinen took over for the Nationals in the eighth, giving up a two-out single by Cameron Maybin, but nothing else. 18-pitch frame.

Ian Desmond singled off Brandon Cunniff to start the Nationals' eighth, but was forced out at second on a Michael Taylor grounder to short. Taylor took second on a throwing error by Pedro Ciriaco and scored on an RBI single to center by Matt den Dekker. 7-0.

Treinen came back out for the ninth and finished the Braves off. Sweep complete.

Nationals now 40-33

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