The flashes of talent poke through enough to make Tony Armas an intriguing pitcher. Sometimes, it also makes him a dominating one.
That’s what he was Sunday, shutting down the woeful Chicago Cubs’ (37-60) so-called hitting attack. But Armas did it efficiently, throwing 98 pitches in his seven-inning gem, leading the Nationals (43-56) to a 7-1 win in front of 30,851 fans. It completed Washington’s first three-game home sweep of the season.
Armas, who picked up his first win since June 4, had been Washington’s top pitcher in the season’s first two months. Then came a rugged four-game stretch followed by a month-long stint on the disabled list, yet another career detour.
Armas is likely to gain attention this week as trade talk heightens.
“If it happens, it happens,” he said. “I went through it twice. I want to do my job every time I go out there. If I can stay healthy, I know I’m gonna do my job.”
He did his job Sunday by displaying excellent command and retired the first eight hitters.
“From the get-go in the bullpen everything was working,” he said.
Manager Frank Robinson said, “That was a very good outing for him. The main thing was, he wasn’t behind on a lot of hitters.”
The Nats’ offense thrived, too. Felipe Lopez had two hits and now has six in his last three games. Alfonso Soriano homered and drove two other balls deep.
“I guess you could call it Mr. M [momentum],” Robinson said. “He showed up briefly, but he hasn’t stayed around very long.”
