Doug Fister is 5-0 with a 1.83 ERA since his delayed, rough Nationals debut - MLB

Doug Fister’s debut for the Nationals was delayed until mid-May by a season-opening stint on the disabled list, but now he’s healthy and showing why so many people thought Washington pulled off a great trade getting him from Detroit this offseason.

Fister shut out the Giants for seven innings last night, improving to 5-1 with a 2.68 ERA in seven starts. And those great overall numbers include a rough first outing on May 9, after which Fister has gone 5-0 with a 1.83 ERA.

Fister has always had very good control, but he’s basically stopped walking batters at this point. He’s handed out three free passes in 44 innings and has a nifty 31/3 K/BB ratio. No wonder the Nationals wanted to sign him to a long-term contract extension as soon as they made the swap with the Tigers.

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CINCINNATI — The Los Angeles Dodgers placed pitcher Noah Syndergaard on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a blister on the index finger of his right throwing hand.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the timetable for Syndergaard’s return is unknown despite the 15-day designation.

“The physical, the mental, the emotional part, as he’s talked about, has taken a toll on him,” Roberts said. “So, the ability to get him away from this. He left today to go back to Los Angeles to kind of get back to normalcy.”

Syndergaard allowed six runs and seven hits in three innings against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night, raising his ERA to 7.16.

Syndergaard (1-4) has surrendered at least five runs in three straight starts.

Syndergaard has been trying to return to the player he was before Tommy John surgery sidelined him for the better part of the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Roberts said Syndergaard will need at least “a few weeks” to both heal and get away from baseball and “reset.”

“I think searching and not being comfortable with where he was at in the moment is certainly evident in performance,” Roberts said. “So hopefully this time away will provide more clarity on who he is right now as a pitcher.

“Trying to perform when you’re searching at this level is extremely difficult. I applaud him from not running from it, but it’s still very difficult. Hopefully it can be a tale of two stories, two halves when he does come back.”