Nationals open critical 4-game series against Phillies with a masterful outing from Foster Griffin

Fans started clapping and roaring, slowly rising to their feet as Nationals manager Blake Butera made the walk from the dugout to the mound to grab the ball from Foster Griffin, who pitched a gem of an outing Monday night.

​Griffin earned the right to receive the adoration and love from the fans at Nationals Park after dominating a star-laden Phillies lineup.

​The offense supplied sufficient run support, but it was his sterling performance that led the Nationals to a 4-1 win over the Phillies in the first of a four-game series against their National League East rivals.

“He’s been a horse for us,” Butera said. “We feel really good when he’s out there, and that’s why we let him go into the eighth and exceed 100 pitches. We just feel really good when he’s on the mound. He seems to be in total control, and when he’s able to do what he did tonight, and what he’s done all year long, you let him go as far as he can.”

​Griffin threw 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball, striking out nine and issuing zero walks. He was aggressive — 70% of his pitches were strikes —and precise in his location and command, keeping the Phillies off-balance and confused all night.

Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott emphatically slammed his bat and helmet after striking out to end the top of the seventh, and it wasn’t the first time that a Phillies player showcased some frustration after facing Griffin.

​In the fourth, left fielder Edmundo Sosa quickly fell behind in the count 0-2 after fouling off Griffin’s sinker and cutter in the zone. Knowing he was in the driver’s seat, Griffin decided to expand the zone. He got Sosa to swing and miss on an outside changeup, sending Sosa on a dispiriting walk back to the dugout.

Griffin got a lot of whiffs on his changeup and incorporated his fastball, curveball and sweeper effectively.

“I feel like I had pretty much everything working,” he said. “They’re a pretty aggressive team, so once I was able to get strike one or strike two, I was able to put them on the defense.”

Before the game, Butera said that the team was excited for the challenge of facing a team surging in the standings while trying to downplay the matchup as just another series. But this four-game set could have huge postseason implications as both teams battle for a wild-card spot. Entering Monday, the Phillies held a two-game lead for the NL’s second wild-card spot, while the Nationals were a half game back of the Cubs for the third berth.

The Nationals’ offense has had more explosive performances, but they only scraped together two runs with Griffin on the mound. No matter. They had enough going with the lefty’s dominant performance and a stout defensive performance to back him up.

Third baseman Curtis Mead added a two-run shot in the seventh to give Washington a little more breathing room.

“We feel like we can compete with them, and we showed that tonight,” Mead said.

​Griffin reached seven innings for the third time this season — the only Washington starter with multiple outings of seven innings — and lowered his ERA to 3.15. He’s been spectacular in June with a 1.48 ERA in four starts, serving as an anchor for an inconsistent pitching staff.

​Signing Griffin to a one-year, $5.5 million contract might have been one of the shrewdest moves of the offseason. Acquiring Griffin has proven to be a bargain for the Nationals. According to FanGraphs’ dollars metric — which converts a player’s WAR into a dollar scale based on what a player would make in free agency — Griffin’s value is already assessed at $5.3 million halfway through the season.

​No one could’ve envisioned that Griffin would perform this well for Washington. Not after flaming out as a first-round pick. Not after leaving the majors to pitch in Japan. Not after returning to the majors armed with multiple pitches but not the overpowering fastball that is needed to join many big-league rotations.

But Griffin didn’t set any expectations when he came back to the United States. He instead returned with an open mind, determined to take what he learned overseas and bring it to the majors.

Mowing through an accomplished Phillies lineup is proof that the 30-year-old’s resurgent year is not a flash in the pan.

Monday’s win is also proof that the Nationals (41-38) aren’t thinking of themselves as the plucky underdogs, but rather a worthy opponent that can compete with any team in the majors.

“I’m really impressed with this team as a whole,” Griffin said. “We’re not backing down to anybody; doesn’t really matter the names on the back of the jerseys or what team we’re playing.”