Nationals Beat Braves 2-0 After Jake Irvin Injury Ends Hitless Bid

Jake Irvin held the Atlanta Braves hitless over five innings before leaving with an injury, and the Washington Nationals defeated Atlanta 2-0 with a combined one-hitter on Saturday. The game was delayed 41 minutes by rain in the middle of the second inning.

Irvin, a 24-year-old right-hander, walked one and struck out seven during his 80-pitch stint. He bent over and grimaced after his final out in the fifth, went back out for warmups in the sixth, but was lifted without throwing another official pitch. The nature of his injury was not immediately known. Irvin had not earned a win since his first start on March 29. The Braves did not come close to a hit while he was on the mound.

Brad Lord took over in the sixth and retired the Braves in order before Michael Harris led off the seventh with a clean single to center for Atlanta's only hit. Lord worked three innings, and Richard Lovelady turned in a perfect ninth for his fourth save.

Dylan Crews and Jorbit Vivas homered off starter Grant Holmes for the only runs. Holmes fanned 10 in five innings, the third time in his career he has reached double-digit strikeouts. He escaped a bases-loaded jam with no outs in the third when Luis...