Game 6: Nats at Mets, April 11, 2012

Series E-ZPass winner Jason Bay.
US Presswire/Debby Wong

The Nats won their second series of the young 2012 season, and the pitching staff threw their first shutout of the year when they blanked the New York Mets 4-0.  The Nats improved their record to 4-2 when Stephen Strasburg and three relievers combined for an otherworldly fifteen strikeouts and six HOV-2s.

First Inning: Ike Davis was the first Met to visit K Street when Strasburg rung him up looking.

Second Inning: Strasburg followed up that backwards K with an HOV-2 after he struck out both Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Ronny Cedeno looking.

Third Inning: Lucas Duda walked the lonely road of K Street after his encounter with Strasburg.

Fourth Inning: Strasburg recorded his second HOV-2 of the night by sitting down Davis and Jason Bay.

Fifth Inning: Another inning, another HOV-2 for Strasburg after he struck out Johan Santana and Ruben Tejada.

Sixth Inning: Bay must really love the views from K Street, because he walked it a series-leading sixth time in the sixth inning.

Seventh Inning: Ryan Mattheus joined the HOV-2 fun by striking out Scott Hairston and Tejada.

Eighth Inning: Make that back-to-back HOV-2s for the bullpen, as Sean Burnett followed up Mattheus’s effort by retiring Lucas Duda and Justin Turner.

Ninth Inning: Make that back-to-back-to-back!  Henry Rodriguez added another HOV-2 after retiring Nieuwenhuis and Cedeno.

Series E-ZPass: Jason Bay, with six strikeouts against the Nats staff.

Notables:

• The Nats’ pitching staff recorded a strikeout in every inning for the first time in the season.
• The Nats’ pitching staff recorded a season-high six HOV-2s.
• The bullpen recorded back-to-back-to-back HOV-2s.
• Strikeouts in the game: 15.
• Strikeouts in the 2012 season: 57.