Washington Nationals news & notes: Nats lose in extras; 3-2 on error by CJ Abrams…

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“We played well,” Nationals manager Davey Martinez said in his postgame news conference after the Nationals’ 3-2 loss to the Braves on Friday at Truist Park in the first game of a three-game series.

“We played really well until the last play of the game.”

Eduardo Salazar, pitching for the second time after a 1-2-3 ninth inning, got the first out in the top of the 10th on a grounder. The 2-2 game ended with a free runner advancing to third base for the first out, then scoring on a throwing error by C.J. Abrams. With two outs, Abrams grounded out to shortstop, skipping over a low throw that Juan Yepes couldn’t scoop out of the dirt at first base.

“It’s disappointing. Everybody fought. It was a tight game all the way through overtime,” Abrams said.

“We wanted to keep fighting, but it just ended that way.”

Regarding his final pitch, Abrams said, “It was low. I have to pitch better, especially in that situation. I might need a little more time. I think I had more chances than I thought, but I just have to pitch better.”

“He just tried to kick the ball too fast and threw it on the ground,” Martinez told reporters.

Pros:

MacKenzie Gore hit a home run on the second pitch, a slider that Michael Harris II hit 410 feet to center field for Atlanta.

But Gore threw 88 pitches over six innings, 61 of which were strikes, and that was the only run he allowed.

He struck out four with no walks, 13 total strikeouts and 13 called strikes, 10 of which were fastballs.

“He was really good tonight,” Davey Martinez said. “He threw his fastball, his fastball low, he threw it high when he needed to. He had a really good curveball, he threw a good changeup, but he was really good. He attacked the strike zone and kept us in the game. Really good pitching.”

Gore pointed to the lack of walks as the key to his success.

“That’s important,” he said. Quote from MASN’s Mark Zuckerman:

“Walks really hurt, especially when they’re in a row. There’s always situations in the game where you just don’t want to give up and give up, but I thought tonight when I got the count I was able to get after guys and get them done.”

“He really held himself up today,” Martinez said of Gore, who survived a leadoff homer in the top of the first and then allowed Atlanta to hit two runners in the bottom of the second, but got two outs with a single and a double.

He finished his day pitching by allowing a single with one out in the fourth inning, a ground-rule double with one out in the fifth inning, and a single with the leadoff hitter and two outs in the sixth inning.

“He didn’t get frustrated with the leadoff hitter hitting a home run,” Martinez said. “Big outs with runners on second and third. He played defense behind him, which was key, but he pitched great.”

Phone call helped:

Alex Cole lunged from behind Ildemaro Vargas on an inning-ending pop to the Nationals’ second baseman and collapsed to the outfield grass in apparent pain. He was examined and eventually carted off the field.

“He was running full speed and then he fell,” Davey Martinez said after the loss. “He heard something pop in his leg, so he’s getting an MRI. We don’t know what it is yet. He’s getting an MRI, so we’ll know more tomorrow.”

Cole also told reporters:

Martinez was asked if there are plans to promote Dylan Cruz for the first game of the series between the Nationals and Chicago Bulls. New York Yankees The game, scheduled for Monday in Washington, may be moved up due to Cole’s injury.

“We don’t know yet,” Martinez said. [GM Mike Rizzo].”

Hopefully, Cole will be able to avoid an extended absence, but the situation seemed serious at the time.

Martinez saw Cole fall but became concerned when he didn’t get up.

“When he didn’t come, I thought, ‘Oh no.’

“We went in there and he couldn’t apply pressure so we called in Kurt.

“I hope he’s OK. Like I said, he’s having an MRI and we’ll see what happens after that.”

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