Second battle:
In the top of the second inning, Mackenzie Gore left a 2-on-2 changeup in the zone to Teoscar Hernandez. dodgersThe right fielder hit a solo shot to left-center field, 408 feet from home, to lead off the inning and give Los Angeles a 1-0 lead early in the series finale in D.C.
As Kevin Fransen pointed out on the MASN broadcast of the late afternoon game, the second inning has been tough for Gore this season, with a .550/.565/.750 line against left-handed pitchers in the second inning. It stands out when you look at it. His division (1st – .200/.294/.200; 3rd – .214/.313/.214; 4th – .077/.077/.077; 5th – .200/.333/.500; 6th – .250/.250/.500 before Thursday’s game).
He faithfully replicated his early-season form on Thursday afternoon, bouncing back well with a 26-pitch second following a dominant 1-2-3 first with 10 pitches, nine strikes.
Gore got through the 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings with double plays, but after the 5th inning, he had thrown a total of 90 pitches, allowing 6 hits, 2 walks, 1 run, and 3 strikeouts.
Manager Davey Martinez sent Gore out for the sixth inning, and Gore allowed a go-ahead single to Freddie Freeman to get the fourth K, then shortstop Jacob Young converted a double play to make it 8-3. . He either forgot the number of outs or thought it was a hit.
Gore threw 102 pitches that night, recording 17 missed strikes and 11 fastballs (It stopped at 97.1 mph and reached a top speed of 98.6 mph.He had 11 strike calls that day, five each on his fastball and curveball, and one on his slider. Dodgers batters fouled out 21 of 55 pitches in the game, which contributed to his increased pitch count.
“Today was a growth moment for him,” Martinez said after losing the all-three series in D.C. to LA, 2-1. You did really well, you did really well. I’m very proud of him. He gave us everything he had and polished it off. So it worked for him. We continue to have good starting pitchers, so we should be fine. ”
“He pitched when he needed to,” Gore said of his work on the road with the returning Keibert Ruiz. “The defense was really good. We turned around — what was it? Four double plays.
“We’re playing well. It’s frustrating when we lose. But we’re playing well. Just keep coming in and competing and we’ll be fine.”
The manager said it was a growth moment and a learning experience for Gore, but what did Martinez learn from his starting pitcher?
“He came out today on fire. The first inning was very impressive, but then he settled down and had a lot of fouls…But what I like about him is that each at-bat, Staying on each pitch and hitting ground balls when he needed to. It was great to be able to reverse some double plays behind him. That’s a big part of his game. Once he understands that, sometimes by not striking out batters and getting two outs on one pitch, he can stay in the game and go into the sixth inning, which is great.
Adams returns to backup:
Riley Adams, who replaced Keibert Lewis as the Nationals’ No. 1 catcher while Lewis was on the IL in critical condition with the flu, went 10-for-37 (.270/.333/.460) with a double and a double. He recorded 4 hits, 1 home run, 4 walks, and 11 Ks in 11 games, appeared in 42 at-bats, and made 11 consecutive starts in the absence of his fellow backstop.
Adams did a really great job with that long start, the reporter noted.
“Great job,” Martinez said of the qualification. And as Lewis recovers with all his might (After losing 18-20 pounds during illness), the Nats’ captain said he intends to have Adams in the lineup as often as possible to stay sharp.
“We’re definitely going to use him,” Martinez explained. “One, let me get him. And two, let me DH Keibert like I’ve done in the past. [Adams] I will continue fishing. he did a great job. He has learned a lot over the years. He’s really coming into his own. So it’s good to have him, it’s good to watch him play, it’s good to see him get better every day.
“Not only was his hitting better, but his catching was a lot better,” the coach added. His calling game has gotten a lot better and he handles our staff really well. So, that’s awesome. ”
Where has Martinez seen growth from the 27-year-old catcher this season?
“He really understands how to handle a pitching staff,” he said. “He’s done a great job with individual pitchers, our starting pitchers, what he wants to do, how he wants to attack hitters.
“He was really responsible and his communication with the pitchers was insane, so it was great.”
In the final game of the series, Lewis recorded 0 hits for 4 and a kick while the Nationals’ offense as a whole struggled.
After the game, Martinez said, “He seemed fine.”
“He caught well. He seemed fine. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow. Nine innings. So we’ll see how he feels tomorrow and go from there.”
Nats starter Mackenzie Gore said it was good to have Lewis back. “Good. We need him.”