The Washington Nationals have a chance tomorrow at an odd feat of losing a series at home to the worst team in baseball, and winning a home series against the best team in baseball in the span of two weeks. After the embarrassment the Nats suffered in the first game of this doubleheader, a good performance in the nightcap was much needed, and they delivered.

The Nats wasted no time jumping on the board first in the bottom of the first inning, via RBI singles from Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Bell gave starter MacKenzie Gore an early 2-0 lead to work with. As Gore kept the Tigers off the board over the first three innings, Josh Bell followed up with another RBI single in the bottom of the third to extend the lead to 3-0.

The Tigers got on the board in the top of the fourth courtesy of an RBI double by Spencer Torkelson, but Gore got Javier Baez to strike out with the bases loaded to end that inning and keep the score 3-1. Tigers’ starter Jack Flaherty settled in during the middle innings. He struck out the last seven batters he faced en route to a five-inning outing.

MacKenzie Gore was allowed to go out for the sixth inning with a pitch count of 98 and not his best stuff. But after a one-out walk and a single, and a career-high 111 pitches, his day came to an end in a mixed bag of results that included only two strikeouts from the pitcher who was the NL leader in K’s.

The remainder of the 6th inning was handed over to Brad Lord. Lord was an out away from escaping damage, but pinch-hitter Colt Keith brought the Tigers one run closer with an RBI double to make it 3-2. Jacob Young saved the Nationals’ lead on this play, starting the relay to cut down runner Matt Vierling at the plate to end the inning and keep Washington in front 3-2.

• Jack Flaherty: 5 innings, 5 hits, 3 runs (all earned), 2 walks, 9 strikeouts, 97 pitches
• MacKenzie Gore: 5.1 innings, 3 hits, 2 runs (all earned), 4 walks, 2 strikeouts, 111 pitches (a career high)

The game took a sharp turn in the top of the seventh, with two outs, Jahmai Jones turned on a sinker that Jose A. Ferrer left right down the middle of the plate and doubled off the wall. Two runs came in to score, and the Tigers snatched a 4-3 lead, to the resounding delight of the scores of Tigers fans that showed up to Nationals Park today.

The bottom of the eighth was the deciding inning tonight. The Nats had the top of the lineup due up, and they took full advantage. CJ Abrams led off with a single, James Wood walked, and Luis Garcia Jr. ripped a single to load the bases for Nathaniel Lowe. Then all he did was hit his first triple of the season, clearing the bases, and putting the Nationals in the lead 6-4. They still weren’t done as Josh Bell followed with an RBI double and Paul DeJong checked in with an RBI single. It wasn’t until the eighth batter of the inning that the first out was made, an outstanding inning from the offense when the ballclub needed it most. Jacob Young would add an RBI groundout later in the inning to give Kyle Finnegan a 9-4 lead to protect, and protect it he did.

The positives tonight were much more extensive than the game earlier today. Cole Henry and Finnegan both turned in scoreless outings out of the bullpen, and the Nats got multi-hit games from Josh Bell, Luis Garcia Jr., and Nathaniel Lowe. Extra shoutout to Lowe, who came up in the clutch twice tonight, once in the first inning and again in the eighth with the game-winning three-run triple. Gore was solid tonight, he battled as long as he could, the Tigers just did a really good job of extending at-bats with endless foul balls, also serving to limit Gore’s strikeout total for the night.

Of course there was the Young defensive Web Gem in the 9th inning that will be on all the highlight shows. Above and over the wall to rob a home run from Riley Greene who hit two home runs in the first game of the doubleheader.

The Nats, like I said, have an opportunity to get a huge series victory tomorrow night over the team currently tied for the best record in the major leagues. Regardless of how well the team is doing, it never sits well with me to hear an opposing fan base come into our ballpark and make it sound like a home game for them, so if you’re in the DC area tomorrow, come out to the park and give the boys the best atmosphere we can for this big game. The Nats will send Jake Irvin (6-3, 4.73 ERA) to the mound to face lefty Dietrich Enns (1-0, 0.00 ERA), who will be making his second start of the season. Irvin has had his struggles lately, including in the velocity department. Here’s hoping an extra day of rest will help solve some of those issues and we can see Jake as his usual solid self during tomorrow night’s outing.