The Walk Off: Nationals win seventh straight, improve to 9-1

Welcome to The Walk Off, the nightly MLB recap from Big League Stew. Here we’ll look at the top performers of the night, show you a must-see highlight and rundown the scoreboard. First, we start with a game you need to know about.

The Washington Nationals really have things rolling under new manager Dusty Baker.

With Saturday’s 8-1 victory against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Nationals have now won seven straight games overall. They also extended their best start in franchise history (that even covers the Montreal years) by improving to 9-1.

Is Washington’s talented roster finally living up to the potential? It’s a relatively small sample size to be sure, but the results are promising.

Of course, the success really begins at the top of that roster, where Bryce Harper and Max Scherzer reside. Both played a key role in Saturday’s win, with Harper delivering the knockout punch with his fifth-inning two-run homer. Harper now has five homers on the season, and has homered in each of his last five games in Philadelphia.

On the hill, Scherzer predictably dominant, tossing seven innings of one-run ball. He even chipped in on offense, cracking a two-run double in the fourth. Scherzer is 2-0 on the young season to go along with a 3.15 ERA.

Other Nationals are playing well too. Daniel Murphy, who’s hitting .438, added a run-scoring hit. Wilson Ramos is batting .389 and doing a fine job behind the plate. If they can get Anthony Rendon, Ryan Zimmerman and Jayson Werth going too, they’ll be even more dangerous. Then there’s young prospect Trea Turner just waiting his turn in Triple A, where he’s tearing it up with a .500 average.

And no, don’t forget about the rotation either. This is a talented Washington team that may finally have the guidance and perspective it needed.

TOP PERFORMERS

Jake Arrieta: Chicago’s ace continued his remarkable run of success at Wrigley Field in the Cubs 6-2 win against the Rockies. Arrieta pitched eight shutout innings, running his scoreless innings in home games to 48.2. That dates back to July 25, 2015, which is the same day Cole Hamels no-hit Chicago. In 34 career starts at Wrigley overall, Arrieta has posted a 1.94 ERA. That’s the lowest mark for any pitcher with a minimum of 150 innings at the famed ballpark. He’s on fire.

Johnny Cueto: San Francisco’s new right-hander didn’t make a great impression in his home debut against the Dodgers last Sunday. In seven innings, he allowed six runs on 10 hits, but still managed to earn the win. He was much better in Saturday’s rematch at Dodger Stadium, allowing just one run on three hits over 7.1 innings. And he earned the win again, as the Giants topped the Dodgers 4-3.

[Elsewhere: Rays wisely add more protective netting following injury to fan]

Nick Markakis: Don’t look now, but the Braves have a two-game winning streak. The veteran Markakis keyed Saturday’s 6-4 win over the Marlins by collecting three hits and driving in three runs. His hits were timely as well, as he opened the scoring with a two-out, two-run double in the second inning. He also drove in the go-ahead run with a double in the fourth.

Nomar Mazara: The Rangers rookie is still raking. In Saturday’s 8-4 win against the Orioles, Mazara went 3-for-4 with a walk, one RBI and two runs scored. It was all needed too, as Baltimore continued slugging with three more home runs. On the season, Mazara is now hitting .444 (12-for-27) through seven games and he looks mighty comfortable doing it.

MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT

Twins rookie Byung-ho Park is struggling to make contact as he adjusts to major-league pitching. Entering Saturday’s game, he had struck out in 14 of his 28 career at-bats. No one is questioning his power though. When he hits them, they stay hit, as evidenced by this 462-foot shot to straight away center field. Park went back-to-back with Oswaldo Arcia in the eighth inning as the Twins topped the Angels 4-2.

THE SCOREBOARD

Mariners 3, Yankees 2: Felix Hernandez walked six in a mostly uneven outing but still picked up his first win of the season. Seattle’s ace pitched five innings, allowing just one run on five hits. By striking out five, Hernandez also tied Randy Johnson on the Mariners all-time strikeout list with 2,162.

Reds 9, Cardinals 8: Cincinnati hit nine doubles to overcome an early 4-0 deficit and defeat Adam Wainwright.

Red Sox 4, Blue Jays 2: This is the formula Boston is looking for. David Price pitched seven innings of two-run ball before turning it over the Koji Uehara and Craig Kimbrel, who closed the door on Toronto. Xander Bogaerts had the key hit, smashing a three-run homer in the third inning.

Indians 7, Mets 5: After retiring the first 13 batters, Matt Harvey hit a wall in Cleveland. Over the next inning and two-thirds, he allowed five runs on six hits while adding three walks. On the season, Harvey is now 0-3 with a 5.71 ERA.

A’s 5, Royals 3: Sonny Gray was excellent again, limiting Kansas City to two runs (one earned) over seven innings. He was supported by Josh Reddick, who connected for a three-run homer in the first, and Stephen Vogt, who added a solo blast in the seventh.

[Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Baseball contest now]

Rays 7, White Sox 2: Brandon Guyer, Brad Miller and Desmond Jennings all homered as Tampa Bay scored a season-high in runs.

Pirates 5, Brewers 0: Andrew McCutchen is on the board. Pittsburgh’s star outfielder launched his first home run of the season in Saturday’s win. Jonathan Niese was the big star though, tossing seven scoreless innings.

Tigers 5, Astros 3: Miguel Cabrera and Nick Castellanos each had three hits while Jarrod Saltalamacchia delivered the go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth. That made a winner of Justin Verlander for the first time this season.

More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:

– – – – – – –

Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813

Sharing is caring! Share this FreeWinningPicks post with your friends!