Shelby Miller threw five shutout innings and Jean Segura had three hits to reach 200 for the season as the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Washington Nationals 3-0 in a rain-shortened game Wednesday night.
The start of the game was delayed 33 minutes by rain and was later called with one out in the top of the sixth inning after waiting out a second delay of 70 minutes.
The NL East-champion Nationals have lost two of three to the last-place Diamondbacks and seven of their last 11 games overall.
Miller (3-12) capped an otherwise forgetful season with one of his best outings of the year, allowing five hits with one walk and striking out five to earn his first win since June 20.
Segura joined Luis Gonzalez as the only players in Diamondbacks history with 200 hits in a season.
Gio Gonzalez (11-11), Washington’s projected No. 3 starter in the NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, struggled in his final tune up before the postseason. The lefty tossed 3 2-3 innings, allowing eight hits and three runs with four walks and four strikeouts.
With Stephen Strasburg not expected to pitch in the NLDS and Joe Ross not yet fully stretched out after a two-month layoff, the Nationals are counting on the inconsistent Gonzalez to come through in the playoffs.
The left-hander struggled down the stretch, though. In his final five starts of the season, Gonzalez allowed 19 earned runs in 23 innings (7.43 ERA) with a 1.78 WHIP.
Before taking the mound for his final start of the season, Gonzalez said a prayer and pointed to the sky as a tribute to his friend Jose Fernandez, who died Sunday in a boating accident. Gonzalez, a Cuban-American, will leave the Nationals on Thursday to attend Fernandez’s funeral in South Florida.
Diamondbacks right-hander Zack Greinke did not accompany the Diamondbacks on their final road trip of the season due to right shoulder soreness. Manager Chip Hale said Wednesday that Greinke is not throwing and he is not expected to pitch again this season.
Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper was not in the Nationals’ starting lineup for a third straight game because of an injured left thumb. Harper is considered day to day, but manager Dusty Baker said that he did not want to risk the NL MVP in a wet outfield after it had rained much of the afternoon. Second baseman Daniel Murphy remains out with a strained glute.
Nationals righty Joe Ross (7-5, 3.48 ERA) is scheduled to make his third start since returning from the disabled list Sept.18 against Diamondbacks LHP Robby Ray (8-14, 4.77) on Thursday.
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