Midway through the top of the first inning on Saturday, it looked like Gio Gonzalez was in for a long night. He followed a flyout by Nick Markakis with back-to-back walks against Pedro Ciriaco and Freddie Freeman. Walks are a bad sign for any pitcher, but especially Gio who can be prone to them.
Shortly thereafter, though, Gonzalez settled in to put out one of his best starts of the 2015 season. He allowed only two hits through six scoreless innings. He held the Braves hitless through five – a feat that earned him a standing ovation from Nationals fans – and at one point struck out eight of 11.