Washington Nationals news & notes: Josiah Gray struggles in 8-4 loss in finale in St. Louis; Hunter Harvey likely headed to IL…

Gray rainy day:

In the “first half,” Josiah Gray, 25, started 18 games and IPed 100 1/3 innings with a 3.41 ERA, 4.79 FIP, 47 walks, 92 strikeouts and a .253/.339/. I left a result of .415. He finished a year on the National League All-Star roster after posting a 4.40 ERA, 5.21 FIP, 39 walks, 106 strikeouts and a .227/.312/.448 batting average in 92 IPs before the 2022 hiatus. was named in .

He finished the year with an MLB-leading 38 home runs (2.30 HR/9). Gray has managed to hold off a home run so far this season (14 HRs per 100 allowed ¹⁄₃ IP before Sunday, 1.26 HR/9), and after a solid first half, Gray said he knew he had a lot of work to do when he found out he was an All-Star.

“The work doesn’t end here,” Gray said earlier this month. “We have more than three months left.”

After pitching a scoreless inning at the Midsummer Classic, heading into his first start of the second half on Sunday, the manager said he hopes Gray can pick up where he left off before the break.

“He pitched in the All-Star Game and had a really good inning,” Martinez said before the final game against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. ‘ said. “He is having a normal day, but we are excited to get him back on the field and see what he can do. I think I’m ready today because I have.”

Unfortunately, the Nationals’ right-handed starter was stuck in traffic throughout his time on the mound Sunday, hitting a double and a hit in the first, two doubles in the second, and a single and a walk in the third. , four straight singles to start the inning before the cards got to him in the fourth, and five frames overall when the home team got on the board with three runs on and got on the board at 3-1. was inside.

In the fifth inning, he hit a one-out home run to make it 4-1.

“He’s been stuck in traffic since the first inning. He didn’t establish a lot of fastballs today. He threw more sliders, more cutters,” Martinez said after the 8-4 loss.

“But he pulled himself out of some tight spots and gave it his all for five innings,” the manager added. “I thought that was enough. One of the things is how you pitch in that moment and how you get out of that situation, I know they scored some points today but early on we really We could have been on the back foot early on and he fought to keep us in the game and I’m proud of him for that. I didn’t have one, but I fought through it.”

He explained that Gray’s approach in the high-leverage spot is to try to focus on each pitch while recognizing that he is one pitch away from getting out of the jam.

“That’s the mentality I’ve had all year and it worked,” he said. Quoted by Mark Zuckerman of MASN.

“It didn’t go so well today. But it’s something I’ll take through the rest of the year: I’m one step away from being in a better position.”

Martinez was asked if Gray’s more in-zone work and more contact this year would allow for hits or misses in games like Sunday afternoon, but the sixth-year captain is more than that. also replied that it was a problem with the starter. Establish his fastball and use it well.

“Most of the time, I think we talk to him about this all the time. When he establishes his fastball, they have to work really hard — sometimes you don’t have your fastball. When, and they can go back to the curveball, you’ll see hits like that.So for me, it’s been a long time since he’s gone ahead and used his fastball a little more and then his destructive power. It’s a combination of killing the batter with

Hunter Harvey Injured?:

A quick look at Hunter Harvey’s speed data from Saturday’s expedition raised some concerns.

“I have a little bit of concern,” manager Davey Martinez told reporters before yesterday’s game.

“I told him yesterday that he was depressed. I’m going to see what happens.”

problem?

“It’s his forearms and the back of his triceps. He’s one of the top-end guys behind our bullpen, so we want to keep an eye on him,” Martinez said. .

With the relief pitcher’s history of injuries, the Nationals will exercise caution.

Harvey underwent Tommy John surgery in 2016 and dealt with strained oblique and latissimus dorsi muscles in 2021, so the club had to deal with this heavy-handed right arm cautiously. Potential problems are a big hit.

“He’s very diligent about what he does and what he does,” Martinez said of Closer, who has remained healthy so far this season. “Not just when he’s pitching, but when he’s with his trainer. He’s been training with our powerhouses. He’s been in great form. He has a history of his father throwing at the back of the bullpen, so he knows what he has to do and he’s out there doing his job. But yesterday the tongue was down and he threw it away.

“When he came in, I spoke to him, and he said he was in a little pain, so I said, ‘Well, it’s going to be down today, and tomorrow Let’s see what happens.’

Photo Credit: Joe Puetz/Getty Images

Of course Harvey wanted to go through with it.

“He wants to go out there and help us win, but I had to be a little smarter,” Martinez said, adding that X-rays showed nothing wrong.

“[With] Given his background and history, we will do our best to keep him healthy and if this becomes an issue, we will ensure that it is nipped in the bud before it becomes another issue. ”

Harvey returned to Washington, D.C., for an MRI early Sunday morning, and after the game Martinez said he would continue to be vigilant about him.

“I’d rather be very careful, very careful with him. We’ll see what happens tomorrow, but we’ll probably have to IL him.”