WASHINGTON — Lucas Giolito pitched four scoreless innings in his major league debut and combined with four others on a five-hitter as the Washington Nationals beat the New York Mets 5-0 in a game that ended around 12:15 a.m. ET on Wednesday after two rain delays.
Wilson Ramos, who caught the shutout, had two hits and his two-run double in the seventh gave the Nationals a 5-0 cushion. Bryce Harper also had two hits for the Nationals, including a homer.
The first-place Nationals (46-32) are five games ahead of the Mets (40-36), who have lost seven of their last 11 games.
The winning pitcher was Oliver Perez (2-1), who made his 32nd appearance of the season.
Matt Harvey (4-10) was the hard-luck loser as he allowed one run but did not return after a rain delay in the fourth.
The Mets loaded the bases in the sixth but Perez retired James Loney and Wilmer Flores for the last two outs to end the rally. Sammy Solis pitched two scoreless innings, the seventh and eighth, for the Nationals and Shawn Kelley came on to pitch the ninth.
Giolito, a right-hander from California, was 5-3 with a 3.17 ERA in 14 starts this season for Double-A Harrisburg of the Eastern League.
The Nationals took a 1-0 lead on a RBI triple in the second by Anthony Rendon. His hit scored the slow-footed Ramos, who singled with one out off Harvey.
Harper went deep off reliever Jerry Blevins, his former teammate, to give the Nationals a 3-0 lead in the fifth. The two-run shot, Harper’s 16th homer of the year, landed in the Washington bullpen over the right field fence.
As Giolito took the mound to warm up for the top of the first, a rainbow could be seen beyond the upper deck in right field after a rain delay of 55 minutes before the first pitch.
His first pitch was a 95 mph fastball to Curtis Granderson, who hit the third pitch for a single to left field.
Giolito got his first strikeout when former Nationals infielder Asdrubal Cabrera, the No. 2 hitter, swung and missed at a 96 mph fastball. Giolito allowed one hit and no runs in four innings with two walks and one strikeout. He threw 45 pitches, with 29 for strikes.
Harvey gave up one run in 3 2/3 innings and like Giolito did not return after a rain delay of 1 hour, 25 minutes in the bottom of the fourth.
Giolito made 67 appearances (with 65 starts) in the minors, compiling a 24-13 record and a 2.74 ERA. He was ranked by MLB.com and ESPN.com as the top prospect in the minors, and he took part in the Futures Game in 2014 and 2015.
The debut of Giolito came six years and 18 days after Stephen Strasburg made his big league debut at Nationals Park on June 8, 2010, when he struck out 14 Pittsburgh Pirates in seven innings.
Rain prevented Giolito from getting his first big league win, even though he pitched well.
NOTES: To clear a roster spot for up RHP Lucas Giolito, Washington optioned RHP Rafael Martin to Triple-A Syracuse. The Nationals also released RHP Taylor Jordan, who was with Syracuse after he pitched in 18 games (15 starts) for Washington from 2013 to 2015. … Mets GM Sandy Alderson announced before the game that LHP Steven Matz (7-3, 3.29 ERA) will not pitch Wednesday in Washington and instead will be pushed back to Thursday in New York against the Chicago Cubs due to a spur in the back of his elbow. There is no structural damage to the elbow, according to Alderson. RHP Logan Verrett (3-4, 4.14) will face Nationals RHP Max Scherzer (8-5, 3.52) on Wednesday. … Mets OF Juan Lagares (sprained left thumb) went 1-for-4 on Tuesday in his first rehab game for Double-A Binghamton.