WASHINGTON -- Michael Chavis scored the winning run on a walk-off wild pitch as the Nationals overcame another shaky night from their bullpen and held off the Dodgers, 7-6, in 11 innings on Saturday night.

“I was just excited to be out there,” said Chavis after capping off a long day at Nationals Park that included a four-hour, 10-minute rain delay before first pitch.

“It makes it all worth it,” Chavis said. “We were here all day, but it worked out really well.”

Chavis, who entered as a pinch-runner in the ninth, dashed home after Gus Varland’s wild pitch, securing a win made possible in part thanks to another quality start from rookie Jake Irvin and terrific defense throughout the night.

After Washington called on six relievers in Friday’s series opener against Los Angeles, Irvin gave his team some much-needed length, allowing one run on three hits and two walks across six innings.

Irvin overcame a shaky first inning to face the minimum in four of his final five frames.

“It’s an outing-to-outing focus for me, but right now, I feel great,” said Irvin, who was relieved after throwing 88 pitches (54 strikes) and producing his fourth quality start in his past five outings. “I’m ready to keep making strides forward.”

After making his 22nd start of the year, Irvin is up to 113 2/3 innings in his maiden big league campaign. The Nationals are cognizant of monitoring his workload down the stretch, but with lefty MacKenzie Gore potentially done for the season, it is at least reassuring that Irvin doesn’t appear to be tiring. Despite an odd streak of eight straight no-decisions for the rookie, Washington has won six of those eight games.

“He’s been really good,” said manager Dave Martinez. “You can see the growth. He’s attacking the zone, he’s doing everything we’ve asked him to do. … From where we started with him to where he is now, he’s made unbelievable strides. I’m very proud of what he’s been able to do. Hopefully, we can sustain that and build off of that, and then next year, he can become one of the guys.”

It’s not clear how many more starts Irvin will make this season, but Martinez admits there is a need to balance not pushing him too far with a desire to continue to build towards next season.

“He says he feels really good,” Martinez said. “He’s been working hard, so we’ll see how hard we can push him. The big thing is if we can get him another start or two and get those innings up, then for next year, we always talk about the 25 percent [increase in innings], and he’d be good to go for the season without any worries. But we definitely have to keep an eye on him.”

While Irvin was pleased with his outing, he was also quick to credit the defensive support he and the other Nats pitchers received on Saturday.

Rookie Jacob Young made a wall-crashing grab in center field to rob Will Smith of a potential extra-base hit in the sixth inning. Jake Alu then made a leaping grab at the left-field wall in the seventh to retire Freddie Freeman. Alex Call, who entered the game as a defensive replacement, made a diving catch in shallow right field to keep Kiké Hernández from a leadoff base hit in the ninth. Chavis and Luis García also made diving snags in the infield to keep runners from advancing.

“Tonight was a grind,” Irvin said. “But the defense played absolutely outstanding, and it was a lot of fun to watch.”

Despite Irvin’s effectiveness and the strong defensive support, the bullpen struggled to keep the Nationals ahead. The Dodgers scored at least once in the seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th innings, erasing a three-run deficit to take a 6-5 lead in the 10th before the Nats rallied.

Two of Washington’s most reliable relievers were among the culprits, as Hunter Harvey allowed two runs in the eighth, while Kyle Finnegan blew the save by allowing the game-tying run in the ninth.

“These guys have been horses for us all year long,” Martinez said. “They’ve been amazing. We’ve used them a lot. It’s that time. They’re grinding. They’re giving you everything they’ve got every time I put them out there.”

Lane Thomas returned after missing three games with a back injury and delivered a two-run homer in the seventh. Thomas, who served as the Nationals’ designated hitter, tied a franchise record by homering for the fourth straight game. The blast gave the Nationals a 5-2 lead before the Dodgers rallied late.

The back-and-forth affair ultimately saw Keibert Ruiz deliver a game-tying RBI single in the bottom of the 10th, setting the stage for Chavis’ winning run in the 11th.

“All in all, from where the day started, to come out with a victory was awesome,” Martinez said. “These guys fought back.”