James McDonald carried a no-hitter through five innings in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Nationals. Jesus Flores broke up the no-no with a double to lead off the sixth inning. McDonald ended up allowing three runs on four hits over 5 2/3 innings while striking out a career-high 11 and walking one. He struck out nine of the first 12 batters he faced and finished one shy of Erik Bedard's franchise record with six strikeouts to start the game. He now owns a 2.68 ERA through seven starts this year and appears headed for a breakout.