Herz teeters early, but recovers to carve up Braves

ATLANTA -- Nationals rookie starting pitcher DJ Herz got off to a rocky start in Sunday’s series finale against the Braves, but he promptly recovered.

Herz tallied 27 pitches in the first inning but was nails from then on as he went five scoreless innings and allowed just one hit with eight strikeouts and three walks as the Nationals avoided a sweep with a 5-1 victory over Atlanta at Truist Park.

“I think it’s kind of just letting it go and focusing on the next batter,” Herz said. “[The first inning] has been like that three times in a row. That’ll stop eventually, but I just keep grinding through [my starts] and they will eventually change.”

Herz, who was drafted by the Cubs in the eighth round (252nd overall) of the 2019 Draft and traded to the Nationals last season, issued two of his three walks and hit a batter in the first inning but kept the Braves off the board.

“The big thing for him is the strike zone,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “We talk about it all the time. The first inning over the last couple of starts has been rough, but he seems to settle down a little bit and he starts throwing strikes and utilizing his pitches. It’s about getting the ball close to the zone because his stuff is really good. If he gets too erratic, that’s when he gets in trouble. When he keeps the ball in the zone, he gets a lot of swings and misses.”

The right-hander has allowed two runs or fewer in his last seven starts and has an ERA of 3.84 in 65 2/3 innings pitched this season.

“It all happens just by attacking the zone,” Herz said. “When I’m attacking the zone and [I get] settled in, it all plays. I’m not chasing anything, I'm just letting it happen.”

Herz ended his outing by striking out the side in the bottom of the fifth inning. He caught Jorge Soler looking to put a cherry on top of his afternoon.

“It felt good,” Herz said. “With how everything has been going, I kind of felt like that was my last inning. I let it all out there. It was nice to finish strong, especially with how it started. I was pleased with how I finished.”

It was the second time Herz has given up just one hit over five-plus innings in his 14 career MLB starts. The last time he did so was when he went six scoreless, one-hit innings in a June 15 win against the Marlins.

Catcher Drew Millas, who was called up from Triple-A Rochester on Saturday after Alex Call landed on the IL with a foot injury, called Herz’s game Sunday.

“He’s impressive,” Millas said. “I think the changeup really sets it all up. It’s a wipeout changeup and it kind of looks like his fastball. When he’s working those off each other, then he can throw a slider in the zone at the bottom. He's a tough matchup for any hitter.”

Washington’s starting rotation over the last six games has posted a 1.80 ERA with 36 strikeouts, 10 walks and a .220 opponent batting average (28-for-127).

Despite making a strong bid for his third career win, Herz (2-6) got the no-decision. Herz got one run of support in the top of the first when James Wood scored on an Andrés Chaparro double play, but that was Washington’s lone run in Herz’s five innings.

Atlanta tied the game when Matt Olson hit a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth off reliever Jacob Barnes.

The Nationals immediately answered with a three-run top of the seventh. Washington’s hitters entered Sunday's game with an 0-for-12 streak with runners in scoring position.

In the three-run seventh, the Nationals tallied two RBI knocks with runners in scoring position -- a Jacob Young RBI double and a CJ Abrams run-scoring single. The Nationals added an insurance run in the top of the ninth when Abrams’ bloop single allowed Young to score from first.

Four Washington pitchers allowed just three hits and struck out 12 Braves as the Nationals clinched the season series against the Braves for the first time since 2017.

“It’s a good feeling and we played really [well] all around,” Herz said. “I pitched well. The bullpen came in and pitched really well. We finally got some hits going and we put some runs on the board. It’s a nice feeling for the pitchers when the guys are hitting and scoring. It takes a little bit off us.”