Nationals beat Reds again as Joan Adon takes perfect game into sixth

CINCINNATI — Baseball delivered one of those summer peculiarities Saturday at Great American Ball Park that, for more than five innings, simply defied all logic. Joan Adon, recalled earlier in the day from Class AAA Rochester to start for the Washington Nationals, retired the first 17 Cincinnati Reds he faced. One of the worst starters in baseball in 2022 by almost any metric, Adon suddenly found himself flirting with history.

That flirtation, fueled by a buckling combination of a pinpoint fastball and a sharp curveball, came to an end with a single by Luke Maile with two outs in the sixth. Another single and a three-run homer by TJ Friedl made his pitching line look far worse than his performance in a 7-3 Nationals victory in which Adon collected his second career win in the majors.

“I definitely realized it in the fourth inning,” Adon said through an interpreter about a potential perfect game. “And when I gave up that first hit, obviously I didn’t feel good. I felt bad. But at the same time, I was able to maintain my focus and my control and keep doing my job out there.”

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The Nationals, who have won the first two games of this series against the National League Central contenders, gave Adon a six-run cushion before the home run, then got an RBI double from Ildemaro Vargas in the ninth as insurance. Washington (48-63) will look for a sweep Sunday.

Adon entered the visiting clubhouse before the game giving off a demeanor that he had been with the team all season. He walked around the room and shook the hand of nearly every teammate. Then he sat with reliever Andrés Machado and the two chatted and laughed before Adon stepped away to get ready.

Here was Adon, a week before his 25th birthday, getting another shot in the majors, showing a quiet confidence that he belonged. There was little statistical evidence to back his belief — he was 1-12 in 2022 with a 7.10 ERA after starting the season as the team’s fifth starter before getting sent down and was just 3-5 with a 4.62 ERA for the Red Wings this season.

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Adon admitted this spring that there were moments last season when the game sped up on him and he didn’t know how to slow it down. He never doubted his ability, but he was trying to find himself on the biggest stage. The chance for another start never came.

When Cade Cavalli underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery, the Nationals gave Chad Kuhl a chance to be their fifth starter. He was eventually replaced by Jake Irvin, who has shown enough flashes to stick in the rotation.

To make room for Adon on the 40-man roster, the Nationals placed Mason Thompson on the 15-day injured list with a right knee contusion. Manager Dave Martinez said he wasn’t sure when the injury happened, but it didn’t occur while Thompson was playing baseball. Now, the Nationals will be without another experienced reliever. But Machado, Jordan Weems and Kyle Finnegan covered the final three innings after Adon completed the first six.

After Stone Garrett gave the Nationals a 1-0 lead in the first inning with a two-out RBI double, Adon struck out the side. The Nationals added a run in the second on Lane Thomas’s sacrifice fly, three more in the fourth and another in the sixth inning to give Adon a comfortable advantage.

Adon struck out six hitters through the first five innings, and it wasn’t until the fifth that the Reds put a ball in play that went out of the infield. Adon threw 38 fastballs and 35 curveballs. Catcher Riley Adams said Adon shook him off in the sixth inning in a full count against Will Benson to throw a curveball instead of a fastball.

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“Just little moments like that throughout,” Adams said. “You could tell he had confidence in all his stuff and he was ready to throw it at any time. It’s fun as a catcher when you can feel that from him.”

Last season, Adon seemed hesitant to throw his other secondary pitches, especially his change-up, which Martinez wanted him to throw more. On Saturday, outside of the fastball and curveball, Adon only threw seven change-ups, four sliders and two sinkers. But he looked more confident throwing them than he did a year ago — and he looked like a more complete pitcher.

His outing was soured by the Friedl home run. Adon bent over in frustration on the mound, knowing he had left a fastball up in the strike zone. He retired the next hitter to end the inning but yelled into his glove as he walked off the mound. Adon was cramping and joked after the game that he wasn’t sure what he would have done if he maintained his perfect game because he wouldn’t have wanted to leave the game.

Adon was replacing Trevor Williams, who remains on the bereavement list. Martinez said after the game that the Nationals will keep Adon on the roster and option reliever Amos Willingham when Williams returns. Martinez said he isn’t sure how he’ll use Adon yet. But on a humid afternoon in Cincinnati, he certainly made the most of his opportunity.

“It was awesome seeing him go out there and understand what he was trying to do and how to attack hitters,” Martinez said. “For me, it was a perfect example of what he really can do. And if he stays engaged, I could see Adon helping us win games here.”