MLB NEWS

Nationals end road swing with strong pitching performances

The Sports Xchange

May 04, 2015 at 3:19 am.

 

Ian Desmond and the Nats are starting to hit their stride. (Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports)

NEW YORK — The Washington Nationals ended a 10-game road trip in the type of stressful — and winning — fashion that may have seemed inconceivable at its midway point.

“One-nothing’s never fun,” manager Matt Williams said Sunday afternoon following the Nationals’ second straight 1-0 win over the National League East-leading New York Mets at Citi Field. “But we’ll take it any way we can get it.”

Especially given how the Nationals opened the trip. Washington lost four straight to the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves — during which it was outscored 25-8 — to extend its overall losing streak to six games.

The Nationals seemed destined to fall to 0-5 on the trip after falling behind 9-1 in the second inning against the Braves on Tuesday, but they stormed back for a 13-12 win that jumpstarted a stretch of five wins in six games.

“The hard work we’re putting in is starting to pay off,” shortstop Ian Desmond said. “Just got to keep on grinding. Keep your head up, keep on pushing.”

The Nationals’ trip-ending surge — which cut their NL East deficit from eight games to four games — was defined by its versatility. After scoring 34 runs in three straight wins over the Braves and Mets from Tuesday through Thursday, Washington went 2-1 in the final three games against the Mets despite scoring just two runs.

The back-to-back 1-0 wins Saturday and Sunday were the first in the history of the Nationals/Montreal Expos franchise.

“Pitching was fantastic the last two days,” Williams said. “The first game we scored a bunch of runs. It doesn’t matter how we got it done as long as we get it done. It was nice to come in here against a first-place club and play well.”