Washington Nationals sweep three-game set with San Francisco Giants with 4-1 win in the finale...

Joe Ross, who started the Washington Nationals’ road trip with a 9.85 ERA in 19 games, one start, and 24 ²⁄₃ innings pitched on the season, was up to 11 ¹⁄₃ scoreless once he was done with six innings on the mound in the series finale with San Francisco’s Giants in Oracle Park.

Ross held the Giants to two walks and three hits in the scoreless appearance, throwing 99 pitches, 59 of them strikes, in what ended up a 4-1 win that gave the Nationals a sweep of the three-game set in the City by the Bay.

Ross vs the Giants: Joe Ross walked five batters last time out, but held the Arizona D-backs off the board through 5 ¹⁄₃ IP, giving up just one hit in a 3-0 win in Chase Field.

In two starts before today in 2019, the 26-year-old righty was (1-1) with a 2.53 ERA, seven walks, nine strikeouts, and a .237/.356/.316 line against in 10 ¹⁄₃ IP, after he struggled in a relief role at the start of the season and was sent down and stretched out.

Looking to build on his outing against the Diamondbacks, Ross took on the Giants today in the series finale in San Francisco, tossing four scoreless on 61 pitches to start, working with a 4-0 lead, and limiting the home team to one hit and a walk.

Kevin Pillar and Brandon Crawford hit back-to-back singles off Ross in the first two at bats of the fifth. Pillar took third on a one-out fly ball to center by Brandon Belt, and a two-out walk to Austin Slater loaded the bases up in front of Mike Yastrzemski, who popped out to short-right for out No. 3 of Ross’s fifth scoreless frame.

A 13-pitch, 1-2-3 sixth ended Ross’s outing, and left with 99 pitches overall and a total of 11 ¹⁄₃ scoreless innings on the mound in two starts on the Nationals’ road trip...

Joe Ross’s Line: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 Ks, 99 P, 59 S, 5/5 GO/FO.

Anderson vs the Nats: Shaun Anderson, 24, was actually drafted by the Nats in the 40th Round in 2013, but didn’t sign, and he was eventually drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 2016, signed, and was then traded to the Giants in a July 2017 deal for Eduardo Núñez.

Anderson was called up to make his MLB debut back in mid-May, and heading into today’s series finale against the Nationals in Oracle Park, the right-hander was (3-3) in 15 starts, with a 5.08 ERA, 28 walks, 53 Ks, 11 HRs allowed, and a .293/.353/.467 line against in 79 ²⁄₃ IP.

Back-to-back hits by Trea Turner and Adam Eaton started Anderson’s first career outing against the Nationals, and both runners moved up on an Anthony Rendon groundout to second, before Turner scored on an RBI groundout by Juan Soto, 1-0.

Eaton singled to start the top of the third inning, and Juan Soto walked with one down, before Gerardo Parra hit an 0-1 fastball out the other way for a three-run home run that made it 4-0 Nationals. Parra’s 7th, doo doo doo doo doo doo doo.

Shaun Anderson’s Line: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 Ks, 1 HR, 66 P, 39 S, 4/1 GO/FO.

Turn On + JuOn SotOBP: Going into today’s game, Nationals’ leadoff man Trea Turner had a 15-game on-base streak going, over which he was 20 for 62 (.323/.400/.548) with three doubles, a triple, three home runs, six RBIs, eight walks, and 12 runs scored in the 15 games.

Turner extended his streak to 16-straight with an opposite field single in the first at bat of the game, and he scored the Nationals’ lone run of the first inning.

Juan Soto came into the finale in Oracle Park with a 13-game on-base streak going, over which he was 12 for 46 (.261/.417/.565) with two doubles, four home runs, and 13 walks.

Soto grounded out productively the first time up against Giants’ righty Shaun Anderson, and walked the second time up to make it a 14-game on-base streak.

BULLPEN ACTION: Andrew Suarez, a 2014 2nd round pick by the Nationals, who didn’t sign, took over on the mound for the Giants in the top of the fourth, and gave up back-to-back, 2-out hits by Turner and Eaton, who were a combined 5 for 6 at that point. Suarez hit Anthony Rendon to load the bases with two out*, but got out of the jam when Steven Duggar made a diving catch in the right-center gap to rob Juan Soto of extra bases. Still 4-0 Nats.

Suarez retired the Nationals in order in the fifth.

Sam Coonrod came on for the Giants in the top of the sixth, with the score still 4-0 in the Nats’ favor, and retired the Nationals in order.

[ed. note: * = Anthony Rendon left the game with a sore toe a couple innings after he was hit by a pitch in the fourth. He stayed in through the top of the fifth before leaving.”]

Tanner Rainey took over for Joe Ross in the bottom of the seventh and retired the side in order in a 16-pitch frame.

Williams Jerez worked around a single by Asdrúbal Cabrera for a scoreless top of the eighth.

Wander Suero got the bottom of the eighth for the Nationals, and worked around a two-out single by Buster Posey and a double by Evan Longoria in a scoreless, 26-pitch frame.

Reyes Moronta gave up a one-out double to center by pinch hitter Andrew Stevenson in the top of the ninth, but stranded the only runner to reach base.

Daniel Hudson got the ninth for the Nationals with a 4-0 lead and hit Kevin Pillar with one out before giving up an RBI double to right center by Brandon Crawford, 4-1.

That’s all the Giants got. Ballgame.

Final Score: 4-1 Nats.

Nationals now 61-53