Game 30: Abrams the Hero in Irvin's Debut

The Nats defeated the Cubs 2-1 on an evening where Jake Irvin made his Major League debut on the mound. Mark & Al analyze the right hander's first Big League start, which had an inauspicious beginning as he hit Nico Hoerner with the first pitch he threw. Washington is 3-3 on this home stand with the rubber match on Thursday afternoon.

(10:00) The bullpen was outstanding as they combined for nearly five scoreless innings. Andres Machado, just promoted from Rochester, came through with clutch outs in the middle frames. Hunter Harvey yet again was extremely impressive as well.

(16:15) The Nationals turned multiple double plays on Wednesday and did so at crucial moments. The defense has been much better this year compared to last season; evidenced by the fact that Luis Garcia has not yet committed an error.

(19:15) CJ Abrams had the game winning hit and now leads the team with 15 RBIs through 30 games. Abrams has been producing the past few weeks while hitting in the bottom of the order.

(26:10) Ildemaro Vargas returned after last month's shoulder injury. Jeter Downs was sent down to make room for Vargas, but only appeared in one game for three+ weeks. What's the explanation for that?