Milone returns to Nats Park and delivers big win for his new team

Left-hander Tommy Milone returned to Nats Park, where he made his major league debut, and pitched his best game of this young season, scattering three hits over six shutout innings in the Orioles' convincing 11-0 victory over the Nationals.

Milone did a great job of keeping the Nats lineup guessing, firing a mid-80's mph fastball, a 79-mph changeup and his slider. He recorded seven groundouts, four flyouts, three strikeouts and no walks in facing 22 batters. Starlin Castro had a double and a bloop single. Howie Kendrick had the other single.

Juan Soto went 0-for-3 against Milone. Trea Turner flew out three times. Adam Eaton failed to get on base. The left-hander said his strategy was to mix his pitches against a team that has the ability to score and use their power bats to do it. After using the fastball and changeup in the first inning, Milone mixed in his curveball in the second frame.

"A little bit of everything," Milone said of his pitch selection. "I think the biggest key with that lineup is to be unpredictable. It's easier said than done because obviously you still have to hit your spots. Got to throw strikes and you got to throw it out of the zone when you need to when you are ahead.

"I think it was just a mix of everything tonight that kind of helped. Just being unpredictable, staying away from the middle of the plate for the most part and just limiting the damage. Not walking guys, not getting guys on base, and letting them have that big hit or that big inning definitely helps."

The best chance for the Nats to get back in the game against Milone came in the bottom of the fourth with the Orioles leading 4-0. The bases were loaded, thanks to the Castro single, the Kendrick single and Kurt Suzuki getting hit by a pitch. With two outs, Milone forced Josh Harrison into a grounder to shortstop that ended the threat.

"Great, obviously," Milone said on the postgame Zoom video call about the early run support. "When you get some runs early on in game it's always nice. As a starting pitcher, you want to be able to attack the zone. To get runs early made that a lot easier to attack the zone and force their hand getting guys on. That was definitely really nice."

"That was an outstanding start," said Orioles manager Brandon Hyde on Zoom. "Really similar to his last start where very few locations missed. A lot of weak contact. A lot of balls off the barrel at the end of the bat just because the changeup was really good again."

It was also a special night for Milone because not only was it a crucial win for his club, but the win occurred in the ballpark where his major league career began. As a 10th-round selection in the 2008 draft, Milone pitched in five games for the Nats in 2011 and again in 2018.

On September 3, 2011, he made his debut here for the Nats against the Mets. It was a no-decision in a game the Nats eventually won 8-7. Milone remembered how he contributed on offense that night, lofting a three-run homer into the Nats bullpen off of Mets starter Dillon Gee in the second inning. That first major league at-bat staked the Nats to a 5-0 lead. Ryan Zimmerman, with a walk-off two-run single won it in comeback fashion in the bottom of the ninth.

"I haven't told any stories," Milone said, smiling, when asked about his homer in Nats Park. "But I have had a couple of people come up to me because I'm sure they heard it (from) announcers ... saying something. I've had a couple of guys come up to me and kind of act shocked that they hear that I've hit a home run in my first at-bat. It's pretty funny."

Milone (1-1) was traded in late December that year in a multi-player deal with the Oakland A's that brought Gio Gonzalez to the Nats. He has had seven base hits in his career. That three-run shot in his debut here at Nats Park was the only homer he has ever hit over a 10-year major league run. Milone is now 2-0 in three career starts against the Nats.

"It's always nice to come back and play here," Milone said. "Obviously, gave me my first opportunity to play in the big leagues. I will always cherish that. It's a little different this year. No fans in the stands, so it looks a little bit different, but it's always nice to come back and it brings out the memories of back in the day. It's nice."