For the first 80 games of the 2023 season, the Nationals toured Colorado, Anaheim, Arizona, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Seattle. They’ve spent a lot of time on the left coast and overall this season has been a trip, with Washington going relatively well, going 19-21 after winning four of six games in the series against the Padres. Mariners. At home, they are 13-27 and have 14 games under .500.
How did they handle all the moves they had to endure in the so-called “first half”?
“They did well, really good,” manager Davey Martinez said before Wednesday afternoon’s final game against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park.
Photo credit: Steph Chambers/Getty Images
“They understand, they understand. Well, today we’re going to stand up for this game and hopefully get out of here with a win and move on and get back to the East Coast.”
Martinez’s club did just that, beating the Mariners 4-1 with starter Patrick Corbin’s scoreless seventh inning and RBIs from Jaymer Candelario, Keibert Lewis and Ildemaro Vargas.
“Like I said before, they’re relentless,” the sixth-year captain said of the effort his baseball club put in to take two of the three away from the M’s. “They come out, play hard, play hard for 27 outs.
Martinez pointed to Corbin and the rest of the Nationals’ starters and the work they’ve done as one of the keys to their successful West Coast swing.
“I always say it before a starter game starts. Our starters have been in the game and got a chance to do some things, and the starters so far have been really good.”
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Photo credit: Steph Chambers/Getty Images
What could Corbin have done, if not his best start to the season so far?
“It was an incredible start,” said Martinez.
“I mean, his four-seamer was good today, his two-seamer was good, his slider was really, really good, and he knocked the guys off balance.”
And as Martinez always loves to see, Corbin hit the strike zone with 102 pitches and 68 strikes.
Martinez said young starters could learn a lot from what Corbin did on the Seattle mound.
“He threw 20 of his 26 first-pitch strikes,” Martinez repeated. “I think they need to learn from that and go after hitters. It’s hard to hit in this league, really. So, it was an unbelievable game and I’m proud of him because, like I said, we needed a great start from him today. And he did it.”
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Photo credit: Steph Chambers/Getty Images
As I said before, it was the effort of the entire team at the club, not just Corbin.
“They are relentless. They play together. They have one heartbeat,” Martinez said.
next? The Nationals’ first three games of the year in the City of Brotherly Love…
