When the Nationals began this series yesterday by getting smacked around in an 11-2 loss, the likelihood of winning a series over the Tigers, who entered the series with the best record in baseball, was not high. The beauty of baseball comes in the fact that what may have happened in one game could be completely flipped in the next.

It was a very inauspicious beginning to the night, as Jake Irvin needed 39 pitches to escape the first inning. Before he could do so, Spencer Torkelson, on the tenth pitch of his at-bat, sent a fastball from Irvin over the center field fence to put the Tigers ahead 3-0. That lead would not last long as the Nationals’ offense exploded in the bottom half of the first inning against Dietrich Enns. With bases loaded and one out, Alex Call came up to bat, and rocked a single into center to score CJ Abrams and James Wood, making it 3-2. That wouldn’t be all of the damage, either, as we give a big “welcome back” to Paul DeJong, who hit his first home run as a National into the seats in right center to flip the score to 5-3 Washington. The Nats would never relinquish the lead.

Before we get into anything else, I am going to give Irvin some major props for his outing tonight. The Tigers made him throw 39 pitches in the first inning and tagged him for three runs on three hits in that inning. Not only did he recover enough to make it through six tonight, but he did so without allowing a single hit in innings 2-6. Taking full advantage of the run support he was given, Irvin showed some serious guts to flip the narrative on his outing completely and turn in a stellar performance against a really good lineup.

Irvin got another run of support in the bottom of the second courtesy of the Nationals’ latest Home Run Derby contestant, James Wood who set a Nats record as the youngest player in Nats’ history at 22 years and 289 days of age, to record a 5-for-5 night. Wood did exactly what you would expect someone in that event to do, as he lined a homer just over the wall in left field to make it a 6-3 Nats lead.

The score remained that way until James Wood‘s next at-bat, where he struck again, bringing home Abrams on an RBI single to extend the lead to 7-3. While we’re talking about James Wood, this past Sunday, he gave us a four-intentional walk game; all he did tonight was record the first 5-hit game of his career. Whether he’s being motivated a little extra by not being voted into the All-Star Game, or the more likely option, that he’s just this good, James Wood is continuing to amaze us every single night that he takes the field. I try to stay out of discussions involving the front office, but I think I speak for all of us fans when I say to Mark Lerner and Mike Rizzo, give him whatever he wants if he’ll be a National for life.

The Nats got a two-run single in the bottom of the fifth from rookie Brady House, taking advantage of an inning where the Tigers’ infield committed three errors. Good teams know how to take advantage of their opponents’ mistakes, something that the Nats haven’t been the best at in years past, so it was nice to see House cash in on the opportunity that was presented to him.

Jake Irvin would throw a his final zero of the night in the top of the sixth, exiting the game ahead 9-3, after a brilliantly gutsy outing.

• Dietrich Enns: 4 innings, 8 hits, 8 runs (7 earned), 2 walks, 3 strikeouts, 83 pitches
• Jake Irvin: 6 innings, 3 hits, 3 runs (all earned), 3 walks, 4 strikeouts, 107 pitches

Things got dicey for the Nationals’ bullpen in the top of the seventh. Cole Henry has been great this season, but he did not have his best stuff tonight. The Tigers got three consecutive two-out singles, including RBI singles from Gleyber Torres and Wenceel Perez to cut the lead to 9-5.

Things got a little more nerve-racking in the top of the eighth as Brad Lord, too, had some rare struggles tonight. He surrendered an RBI single to Parker Meadows, followed by an RBI groundout by Javier Baez. Just like that, it was a 9-7 ballgame, and what was shaping up to be a comfortable win became anything but.

As Kyle Finnegan hurriedly prepared to come in for a save, the Nationals’ offense came up big in the bottom half of the eighth to make it a much easier ninth-inning opportunity for him. Luis Garcia came up big with a pinch-hit RBI single to score Wood, who was on base thanks to his fifth hit of the night. Then Alex Call checked in with his third hit of the game, singling home Garcia to make it 11-7 Washington heading into the ninth.

That’s exactly how it ended as Kyle Finnegan closed out the game with a clean ninth inning, giving the Nationals an unprecedented win over one of the best teams in baseball. This year has undoubtedly been rough for us as fans, making it all the more prudent that we take every opportunity to celebrate wins like these when we do get them. Two weeks ago today, we salvaged a lone win against the Colorado Rockies, the worst team in baseball. They came into Nationals Park and won three out of four. Now, two weeks later, we’re celebrating a series win over the best team in the American League. Call them inconsistent, call it playing up to competition, heck, call it Dave Martinez baseball. Whatever you call it, this team is a joy to watch when they show the resilience they showed tonight and in last night’s win as well.

The positives tonight were extensive. Jake Irvin and James Wood were tremendous; their nights have been documented already. Kyle Finnegan has been fantastic lately, and he continued his hot stretch with a dominant ninth inning tonight. On the offensive side, James Wood and Alex Call combined for 8 of the Nats’ 15 total hits, and Brady House had some loud contact that included a 2-RBI single. Their efforts were supplemented by a balanced performance from the whole lineup, with eight out of nine offensive starters recording a hit.

With tonight’s victory, Nats’ manager Dave Martinez now has 500 career wins. He is the third manager in Washington baseball history to reach the plateau, joining Clark Griffith (693 wins with the Senators from 1912-20) and Bucky Harris (987 wins with the Senators from 1924-28 and 1935-42).

The Nats have an early morning tomorrow, as they will take on the Red Sox at 11:05 a.m. in the annual 4th of July game. Familiar face, Lucas Giolito (4-1, 3.99 ERA), who came up in the Nationals’ system and made his Major League debut for the Nationals in 2016, will make his first appearance back at Nationals Park tomorrow morning, getting the start for the Red Sox. He will be opposed by Michael Soroka (3-5, 4.70 ERA), who is coming off a six-inning gem against the Angels last weekend. The Nats have some momentum to carry into this series, let’s hope that same grit and resilience that showed up these past two games can carry into the weekend and give us some more quality baseball.