“I just felt comfortable going out there — I saw the guy yesterday,” Wood said of Reds left-hander Justin Wilson. “Sometimes (the first pitch) is the best one you’ll see all day. You just have to be ready for it.”

As Wood rounded the bases, his mind went blank. The closeness of the teams in the wild-card standings, however, was something he thought about in the clubhouse. With five wins in their last six games, the Nationals are tied with the Reds — 47-53.

“We’re all in,” Wood said. “We’re trying to make a push, and every game is important.”

“This is a time where things can go either way,” Manager Dave Martinez said. “You either come out flat and try to work your way out and do something special, or you come out with a good start. I’m glad the guys elected to get off to a good start.”

To call the moment Baseball America’s top prospect a given is to understate the jump he’s making from Class AAA. In his first three weeks in the big leagues, Wood has seen enough that could have derailed his season.

Take that he struck out seventh on Sunday, under the guise of relaxing the usually easygoing 21-year-old at bat. Or that he entered the eighth inning at-bat 9 for his last 44 (.205) since his first major-league home run. Or that Wood, between Class AAA Rochester and Washington, has shown a patient approach that served him well in the minors but has resulted in a slew of two-strike counts in the majors.

Martinez spoke to Wood before the game and told him to be aggressive.

“Teams come in, they have a game plan. They find your weaknesses,” the manager said. “But do you talk to him? He’s really smart. He understands what he wants to do. Today showed that.”

It didn’t matter that Wood had hit two hard outs earlier on Sunday — he’s done it enough times in his young career to have an automatic response of, “That’s baseball.” In the second inning, the first ball he put in play left his bat at 107.2 mph, and he barely managed an infield single after it deflected off Reds starter Andrew Abbott. In the fourth, he hit it even harder, a 109-mph laser to left field that, at Wood’s speed, might have given up three bases if Will Benson hadn’t made a diving catch. And in the sixth, Wood was the victim of another highlight reel when center fielder Stuart Fairchild leaped against the wall to rob him again.

He sauntered back to the dugout, expressionless. At least he was hitting the ball in the air — and swinging at the right pitches, hitting fastballs. The first pitch Wilson threw was a high heater, delivered at 94.2 mph. Wood sent it out at 105.9 mph, 404 feet into the seats. As he walked into the dugout, he high-fived shortstop C.J. Abrams, the motion knocking the “Uncle Slam” home run cap off his head.

The Nationals were in that position only because of Irvin’s excellence; he allowed two earned runs in seven innings with seven strikeouts and no walks. After allowing six earned runs in each of his last two starts before the All-Star break, he was back to his old self.

“I think the break was a nice refresher,” Irvin said. “A reminder to stay grounded, be where your feet are and be in attack mode.”

Irvin is used to getting into trouble early, so a solo home run in the second inning by Noelvi Marte didn’t stress him out. Neither did the pressure of keeping up with a depleted bullpen, the lack of support he normally gets, and a brief visit from athletic trainer Paul Lessard in the third inning after he appeared to twist something in his right leg while fielding a groundball. He got into better counts and used his four-seamer more than usual, which led to weak contact.

The Nationals struck back in the third inning, when a two-out double off the left-field wall by Juan Yepez (1.007 OPS since arriving on July 5) pushed Jacob Young to third. A few pitches later, Reds catcher Austin Wynns attempted to catch Young between third and home, but overthrew Marte at third, allowing Young to score; Marte was charged with the error. Harold Ramírez, another midseason addition, drove Yepez home to give the Nationals a 2–1 lead before Irvin allowed a solo shot to Fairchild in the fifth. Wood accounted for the final three runs.

“Electric,” Irvin said of Wood’s home run. “He’s something special.”