Field Level Media
Jun 12, 2021
Erick Fedde pitched five effective innings in his first start in nearly a month and the host Washington Nationals handed Kevin Gausman his first loss of the season with a 2-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday.
Fedde (4-4) made his first start since May 16 after testing positive for COVID-19 and allowed four hits. He struck out seven and walked none in an 82-pitch outing.
Fedde retired the final nine hitters he faced. He ended the day with a career-high 13-inning scoreless streak and has never allowed a run in 11 career innings against San Francisco.
Kyle Schwarber led off the first inning with a homer off Gausman, who entered the game with a 24-inning scoreless streak. Josh Harrison added an RBI double in the fourth for the Nationals, who won for only the sixth time in 17 games.
Gausman (7-1) allowed two runs and three hits in his first loss since Sept. 19 against the Oakland Athletics. He struck out four, walked two and saw a career-high seven-game winning streak stopped.
Gausman also was unable to pitch at least five innings and allow one earned run or less for the 10th straight start. It was the second time in 13 starts this season he allowed more than one earned run.
He also was unable to join Julio Urias (nine victories), Jack Flaherty and Clayton Kershaw as eight-game winners in the National League.
The Giants lost for only the fourth time in their past 13 games and were unable to join the Tampa Bay Rays as the second team in the majors to reach 40 wins.
Schwarber hit his sixth career leadoff home run two pitches in when he drove an 0-1 fastball into the second deck of the right-center field seats. It was his 10th homer of the season and third career homer off Gausman.
Schwarber nearly homered again in the third but his drive ended up at the warning track in right field.
Washington took a 2-0 lead in the fourth when Juan Soto opened the inning with a walk and scored on Harrison's double that went over Mike Yastrzemski's head as tried to make an over the shoulder catch in right field
Kyle Finnegan pitched a scoreless sixth and Brad Hand struck out two in a perfect seventh for his 11th save in 13 opportunities.
--Field Level Media