Nationals' pitchers step up in series-opening win over Giants

Michael Chavis hit a go-ahead double and the Washington Nationals blanked the visiting San Francisco Giants for the final six innings in a 5-3 victory to open a three-game series Friday night.

Nationals starter Jake Irvin withstood a rough opening stretch and then didn't allow a run in any of the final four innings in which he pitched.

The Giants threatened with two outs in the seventh after Irvin departed. Reliever Jordan Weems walked the first batter he faced to load the bases, but a strikeout of Casey Schmitt got the Nationals out of it without allowing a run.

Jose Ferrer pitched the eighth for the Nationals before Kyle Finnegan worked the ninth for his 13th save.

Washington improved to 3-4 since the All-Star break. It was the Nationals' first home game since the break.

The Giants have hit an offensive lull as they dropped their third game in a row. They have a total of seven hits in their last two games.

Irvin (3-5), a rookie, posted his first career victory in May at San Francisco. On Friday night, he beat the Giants again by striking out nine in 6 2/3 innings while allowing three runs, five hits and one walk.

Giants starter Alex Wood (4-4) gave up five runs on five hits and two walks in four innings. He struck out one.

Each team rapped two home runs across the first three innings.

J.D. Davis hit his 12th homer in the first inning for the Giants. Lane Thomas countered with his 16th homer in the bottom of the inning, and the Nationals went up 2-1 on Keibert Ruiz's double later in the frame.

CJ Abrams drilled a solo homer in the second for Washington, giving him nine on the year. Joc Pederson's two-run shot for his ninth long ball of the season tied the score 3-3 in the third.

After Chavis' go-ahead double scored Stone Garrett in the fourth, the Nationals padded the lead on Joey Meneses' double in the fifth.

Abrams and Thomas had two hits apiece. No player for San Francisco had more than one hit.