Washington Nationals news & notes: Nats snap 4-game slide with 5-2 win over Tigers; Lane Thomas keeps swinging it + more…

Corbin vs Detroit:

Patrick Corbin allowed 14 runs (12 ERA) in his first three starts and pitched 14 innings early this season, but after a three-year struggle that at times seemed like he could never work things out, Corbin, now 33, is an old left-hander who has found a way.

6+ starts and 36 ¹⁄₃ Going into yesterday’s game, Corbin allowed 17 runs and 14 runs, posting a 3.47 ERA, a 3.85 FIP, and a .260/.278/.390 line-up.

It was a welcome run for the southpaw that helped Washington win. world series The first year of his six-year/$140 million deal with the Nationals was 19 years, but he wasn’t the same pitcher from 2020-2022.

“He’s attacking the strike zone,” Nats captain Davey Martinez said after Corbin’s game against New York. Mets Last Monday, he pitched 97 pitches in 6 innings, giving up 8 hits and 2 runs.

“What I also like about it,” added the manager, “is that he uses the changeup very effectively and I think that helps him because now he just sits and throws the ball. That helps with his slider and fastball because he can’t do that.When he throws, he’s a two-seamer, so that’s another weapon of his that they have to be aware of.”

250 changeup average for opponents going into Saturday’s game, down from .380 in 2022, but pitching at an even 8.3%. The hitter’s sinker batting average was .356, actually up from 22 years (.315 average), but the slider’s BAA (.175) was well down from last year (.309), and he was throwing it. more (35.0%, up from 0.29.4% in 2022), and I threw fewer four-seam fastballs (10.9% vs 16.9%, which is probably good — 0.353 BAA, slightly up from last year’s 0.333).

Against the Detroit Tigers, Corbin fell behind in the early stages and allowed the first hit with a sinker on the first pitch, then hit a two-run homer with two outs, and Matt Biering returned one in the middle to start the game. bottom. Then Spencer Torkelson hit a 1-0 four-siemer out to the left 401 feet from home to score two outs and lead 2-0 after half an inning.

Corbyn hit a leadoff single in the top of the second and successfully avoided a two-out error in the top of the third to keep it 2-0. He came in at No. 4 on 39 pitches, allowing a lefty single out, but a 6-4-3 double play at the end of the inning saw some help from shortstop and CJ Abrams went deep into the plate. He short-hauled Miguel Cabrera’s sharp grounder and threw quickly to Ildemaro Vargas for the first out of the double.

In the fifth of a quick 13-ball escaping leadoff single, Corbin left with a total of 61 pitches in the afternoon, and when he got to base in the 3-2 sixth, Torkelson hit a single from one out. A starter for the Knots, the southpaw then had two outs on 13 pitches for a 74-point game.

Patrick Corbin quote: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 Ks, 1 HR, 74 P, 49 S, 7/5 GO/FO.

Brad Mills – USA TODAY Sports

Corbin pitched solidly overall, scoring 11 swing strikes (6 on slider) and 7 cold strikes (5 on sinker).

“Patrick Corbyn was good,” said the manager after the 5-2 win. “Other than home runs, he threw the ball really, really well.”

“He’s calmed down,” Martinez said of Corbin rebounding from an early home run. “He started throwing a little more changeup. The slider was good today, the slider was really effective.”

But the key is “to keep the ball down,” said the captain.I think so [home run pitch] He has to hold the ball down, probably because the only pitch he threw was hit. “

Key moments:

• Jaimer Candelario’s four-game multi-hitting streak (He went 15-10 with 3 2Bs, 1 3B and 1 HR.) He went 0-for-4 in the series opener against the Tigers on Friday night, but on Saturday afternoon, Tigers right-hander Alex Faed hit a 1-0 changeup down the middle 390 feet to the right for 2-2. I hit my first home run. After the Nationals trailed by two early in the capital, center fielder pushed the Nationals to within one point, 2-1.

• CJ Abrams hit a 0-1 slider to left field, which remained fair, sending Idolmalo Vargas to third base after hitting a one-out single in his previous at-bat. With two runners in scoring position, Alex Cole got no results with a ground ball to third base, but Lane Thomas hit an inside-angle slider into which Tigers shortstop Javier Baez dived to put both runners off. We pushed in and gave the home team the lead with 3-2.

• Corey Dickerson hit a ground-rule double over the right field fence on Tigers reliever Tyler Holton’s first-pitch slider in the sixth inning with two outs for the Knots, and Keibert Lewis scored on a single to Wright. However, after a run was scored, the catcher attempted second base and was thrown out.

Carl Edwards, Jr. walked the first batter he faced in the seventh inning, [Everyone: “CARL!!!”]But then thwarted the runners with three outs to keep the game 4-2, Hunter Harvey heated up in the eighth inning, striking out and two ground outs in 14 innings, averaging 12 100 mph runs. was. The fastball he threw.

Kyle Finnigan took the win in the ninth with a 1-2-3 frame. ball game.

Why was Harvey 8th and Finnegan 9th this time?

“I loved Harvey and the group,” the coach said of the matchup. “As I said before, I love the eighth and ninth matches between those two. I love Vero, Big Time Vero and Javy’s Ball [Báez] and those people.So Harvey got the group [in the eighth]”

Back Page – Move Roster:

Davey Martinez began giving reporters an injury update at a semi-regular practice Friday, but as the veteran pitcher nears his return from right metatarsal pain problems, Chad Cool’s sim game talked about performance.

“Chad Cool felt great,” Martinez said. “He’s going to throw a little bit here. He’ll probably find his next plan in the next few days.”

“We were trying to put him off for five days when he threw the other day.” [schedule], But in the last throwing simulation game, he threw the ball really well. we will reevaluate him.

“He’s going to throw a little bit today. Then we’ll make a plan.”

The 30-year-old veteran, who had a 9.41 ERA, a 6.93 FIP and a .318/.415/.624 batting average in 22 IPs in five starts before landing in Illinois on May 1, is back in the league. would you go back? rotate?

Will Jake Irvin keep pitching in the MLB rotation?

“I’m going to sit with [Pitching Coach Jim] hickey, talk [GM Mike Rizzo] Let’s think about that a little more and then see where we are,” Martinez said Friday morning.

The move was made before yesterday’s game.

“I’ve been spending more time in the bullpen,” Martinez said during his pregame press conference two of three games against the Tigers at Nationals Park. In doing so, he would probably get a clean innings, but he would definitely give us multiple innings if we needed to. You know he threw the ball very well in the last simulation game. He was in his mid-90s on the fastball, he was throwing strikes, and the slider was really, really good, so that was encouraging. So let’s put him in the bullpen, get him going, and then let’s see where that takes us. “

Hobie Harris out of two ¹⁄₃With no 39 pitches scheduled for Friday, the manager said the 29-year-old reliever has work to do in Triple-A.

“You threw well yesterday. He’s going to go out there and practice his fastball command a bit. So I don’t think this will be the last time I see Hobie.”

Regarding placing Irvin in the rotation after struggling in the series opener (5 hits, 4 walks, 6 runs, 4 earned runs in 2 games ²⁄₃ IP at the start of Friday), Martinez said the 26-year-old would be given the opportunity to stay a while and understand the situation.

“Well, I would love to see Jake longer. If his stuff is really good.

“Yesterday was a different one. I’ve seen some videos and I’m going to talk to him about some things and then bring him back on the field.”

Thomas’ swing:

In Friday night’s loss, Lane Thomas With 1 hit in 3 at bats, 1 home run, 2 RBIs, 1 walk, and 1 RBI, he extended his record of 16 consecutive games on base (his personal best).21/65, .323 AVG, 4 walks) scored on a free pass in the fourth inning and hit in 14 of his 16 home halves in the sixth inning.

It was Thomas’ sixth home run of the season, all in May.

“He has to be aggressive and that’s what he does,” Davey Martinez said of Thomas’ run in the presser after the series opener.

“He’s showing off his A swing on almost every pitch,” added the manager.

“I was swinging well even if I got fouled, so I didn’t care about the curve ball, I prepared to hit a fastball, and I did it.”

Brad Mills – USA TODAY Sports

Martinez has acknowledged power from Thomas since acquiring him at the 2021 trade deadline just before two of his three games against the Tigers (Recorded 31 HR in 235 games. In 2022, he will reach a career-high 17HR in 146 games.), “It was a little surprising.”

“We knew he could hit any field and we knew he could be a doubles player,” Martinez explained. “Home run? The key for him is to get ready to hit the fastball and hit the ball forward. His contacts have to come forward. When he does, he hits the ball really hard.” It doesn’t matter where it is, we saw him hit a home run to right field in Miami, but the point is he’s ready to hit the fastball and catch it all head-on, And when I saw it, if he kept at it, it was last year, he showed he could hit 20+ homers a year and I think he can do it. , as I said earlier, consistency with him will be key.”

Thomas finished the night with a .303 fastball average this season, up from .247 in 2022, three of his six homers hit by some kind of heater, and started in the bottom of the first inning yesterday. hit a single hit. He extended his streak to 17 games on base (and Hits in 15 of 17 games), then scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth on Knott’s second hit of the night to give the home team a 3-2 lead and an eventual 5-2 victory.

Brad Mills – USA TODAY Sports

In the bottom of the 8th inning, Thomas added a double (7 runs) to give him a 3-for-4 record with a double and two RBIs. Candelario made it 5-2 with his own double.

“He’s really good when he’s ready to hit the fastball,” Martinez said. He’s smashing the ball into his left-center, which is nice to see, but it just shows me that he’s getting ready early, and he’s on a fastball, a curveball I am able to come back. He sees the ball really well now.

“And that’s good. He’s going to guide us. So far he’s been doing well and I hope he keeps it up for a while.”