Jake Irvin throws 5 hitless innings in Washington one-hitter, but sore shoulder dampens the mood

ATLANTA (AP) — Jake Irvin pitched five hitless innings for his first win in nearly two months.

Now, a bit of nervousness for the Washington right-hander as he waits to see if his shoulder is OK.

Irvin combined with two relievers on a one-hitter that carried the Nationals to a 2-0 win over the first-place Atlanta Braves on Saturday.

But Irvin (2-4) felt a bit of tightness on his final few pitches in the fifth, and one warmup pitch leading into the sixth persuaded him to turn the game over to the bullpen.

Irvin said he doesn’t think it’s a serious issue. Asked his level of concern, he replied, “Not much. Just precautionary. A little bit of tightness. We’ll see what the doctor says.”

Brad Lord gave up the only Atlanta hit — a clean single to center by Michael Harris II leading off the seventh — during his three-inning stint. Richard Lovelady finished up with a perfect ninth for his fourth save.

“It’s a testament to how well the guys were throwing the ball,” manager Blake Butera said. “Especially against that lineup. That lineup is no joke.”

Butera also downplayed Irvin’s injury, though an MRI is set for Sunday to determine if there’s an issue that will keep him off the mound.

“He said he felt a little something in his shoulder when he came in after the fifth. He wanted to at least see if it went away. He’s said he had experienced something similar previously,” the manager said. “When he went back out there (in the sixth), the first pitch of warmups he said he felt it again. So, we decided to get him out and not push through that.”

Irvin said he wasn’t sure if a 41-minute rain delay in the middle of the second inning contributed to his shoulder issue. If so, it didn’t materialize right away.

It was an unlikely showing by Irvin, whose most recent win had come on March 29 in his first start of the season against the Chicago Cubs. Since then, he had gone 0-4 with a 6.05 ERA in nine starts before the outing Saturday.

Irvin walked one and recorded seven strikeouts while throwing 80 pitches, 52 for strikes.

“Obviously, it’s not fun getting hurt there,” Butera said. “But to bring some light, it’s good to get a win for him. He deserved it.”

The Nationals struck out 15 times against three Atlanta pitchers, but a pair of solo homers by Dylan Crews and Jorbit Vivas provided the necessary offense.

Crews gave all the credit to the pitchers.

“Jake did exactly what we needed today,” Crews said. “When he came out, Lord came in and picked up right where he left off. Then Lovelady came in and shut it down. A really good day for all of them today.”

Irvin smiled when asked if he was thinking about being part of a no-hitter as the game went to the seventh. To that point, the Braves hadn’t come close to a hit.

“I was definitely excited about it,” Irvin said. “I’m just hoping for a team win, to be quite honest with you. The no-hitter is just a little bit of a secondary product that comes with that.”

The Nationals didn’t quite complete the first no-hitter of the big league season.

Now, they can only hope Irvin is good to go for his next start.

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