Washington Nationals news & notes: Nats win on walk-off wild pitch; MacKenzie Gore to IL + more…

Is Mackenzie Gore set for the 2023 season?:

Mackenzie Gore’s 2023 campaign effectively ended when it was announced on Saturday that he would be on the 15-day IL due to blisters on the fingers of his left hand, resulting in a shortened four-inning outing in the nation’s capital on Friday night. .

“We couldn’t send him away,” coach Davey Martinez explained. Quoted by Mark Zuckerman of MASN After losing the series opener 8-5, los angeles dodgers. “I got another blister on the same finger. It broke out on him. So I said that’s it. We’ll have to look at it tomorrow and see what situation we’re in.” be.”

Gore went to the IL ahead of the second of three fights in LA and D.C., and Martinez wouldn’t say the 24-year-old southpaw’s season is over, but he suggested it, given the timing.

“We’re going to keep a close eye on him, but he’s got blister upon blister,” Martinez told reporters Saturday afternoon.

“But at this point, you probably wouldn’t want to start him again. We’re getting closer to innings — honestly, we’re more innings than we expected.”

“But right now, I’m not ruling anything out. If you give me a few days, I’d love to sit down and talk to him. But I think he’ll get closure.”

Gore was acquired as one of five potential prospects in a trade that would send both Juan Soto and Josh Bell to San Diego before the 2022 trade deadline; Although he pitched in the minors, he was injured at the time of his contract. After making his debut with the Padres earlier this year, he did not return to the majors, entering his first season in the Nationals’ organization.

Assuming he finishes this year, Gore will finish his first full season in a Nationals uniform with a 4.42 ERA, 4.90 FIP, 57 walks (3.76/9 BB), 151 Ks (9.97 K/9), and batting average. It will end at 258. 27+ starts and he has a .331/.459 line for 136+ starts ¹⁄₃ His IP is up from the 87 total he threw between the minors and majors in 2022. The manager said he has seen a huge improvement from his 2017 first-round pick.

Martinez said it’s all about consistency when looking at what Gore accomplished this season and what they need to work on going forward.

“When you talk to him, the key is consistency,” he said. “When he’s good, he’s good. And we talk about that all the time. His stuff is always electric.

“We’ve got to get him to understand how to use his weapons, how to attack hitters a little better, how to be around the zone. His mistakes should be more near the zone. But , Overall, I think he’s grown a lot from the beginning of the year to now. He really is. The way he fought with his emotions on the field, the way he allowed hits in high-leverage situations. I remember him just being rattled when we did that, and he was able to calm it down here late and keep us in the ballgame.

Photo credit: Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images

“Just when everyone thought he wasn’t going to be good, he would come in and go into the next inning or get out between innings and pitch really well.”

Martinez said he believes there is still room for growth in Goa’s already impressive game.

“I told him this before: You can be a future All-Star if you want to be,” Martinez said.

“Physically he’s great. He’s working hard on his mental game and he’s doing really well at that.”

The manager responded to questions about how Gore’s absence will affect the starting rotation going forward, but was not ready to make any announcements or name his next replacement.

“Let’s see,” he said. “I’m going to sit with you. [GM Mike Rizzo] and [Pitching Coach Jim] Hickey and look over the game plan over the next few days to see where we are.So, okay — like I said before, we need to keep an eye on Jake. [Irvin]I want to see Josiah. [Gray]yes, and [Joan] Who is Adon — he just takes the ball away all the time, but he’s still young so we want to keep an eye on him as well, but he’s been much more important to me since we got him last year. He’s been throwing the ball well, and he throws the ball every time. Coming up, he seems to have more confidence, so that’s a good thing. “

Speaking of injuries and opportunities;

Anyone who watched Riley Adams react to discomfort in his hands and wrists after taking a swing at a pinch-hitter’s bat last Thursday likely feared a hamate injury, and the club said it was It was confirmed to be a season-ending injury for the 27-year-old Adams. On Friday afternoon, the old catcher was placed on the IL for 10 days with a left hamate fracture (retroactive to September 7th).

Adams appeared in 44 games and had 158 at-bats as backup to Keibert Lewis, hitting .273/.331/.476 with 13 doubles, two triples, and four home runs, hitting .994. . Standing at bat as a part-time catcher in DC, CS 22% (throwing 9 out of 41 stealth base candidates)

David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

Davey Martinez called Adams’ injury “unfortunate.” “But as we all know, things like that happen, but he did a really good job. I was talking to him earlier and I said I was proud of him. He believes. He had a season like no other. He worked hard at his job every day. He got better, he hit better, and I think he’s going to continue to get better. He had a lot of confidence. He’s going to get really good because he got more and more confident every time he played, every time he had success. Like I said, I’m proud of the way he works. .How he made the pitching staff work, how he held the players together, how he held them accountable, all of that. That’s the mark of a great catcher, but it’s also the mark of a quiet leader. He I love being around him because he stepped up to be that guy.”

Bonus quote:

Davey Martinez has this to say about his message to young players: Contribute something every day.

“The biggest thing I always tell them is, [guys], “If I can do just one thing every game to help my team win, then I’ll call it a successful day.” 26 If I can get people to do one thing every day, I can do more. can win the match. And the great guy wants you to understand that you don’t have to play 4-on-4 to get through the day. Whether it’s a walk, a double play, or a successful bunt down. Whatever it is, if you can help our team win, that’s great and if you do that consistently, you’re going to be here for a long time. “

A quick summary of the overtime game due to rain postponement:

Four hours and 10 minutes after the originally scheduled start of the game, the Nationals and Dodgers started the second of three games this weekend in D.C.

go! — After the Los Angeles Dodgers opened the game with a leadoff run on David Peralta’s single, CJ Abrams led off with a triple in the bottom of the first inning, took third base in his next at-bat, and Freddie Freeman doubled. did. Max Muncy scored on a sac fly to make it 1-1.

Ildemaro Vargas took the first walk of the game from Dodgers starting pitcher Bobby Miller, advanced to scoring position in his next at-bat, went to third base on an error on the play, and scored on a hit by Luis Garcia to put the home team ahead. Ta. It was 2-1 with an RBI single, then Abrams singled, Lane Thomas reached with an HBP, and Dom Smith put Garcia in with a sac fly to make it 3-1 after five innings.

Jake Irvin threw 88 pitches in six innings for the Nationals, 54 of which were strikes, allowed only one run on three hits and two walks, and struck out four of the 22 batters he faced. Irvin had eight total strikeouts from Dodgers batters, but collected 17 called strikes on the night.

The Dodgers took a one-run lead in the top of the seventh inning, but in the home half, Abrams walked with two outs and Lane Thomas hit a home run, putting the Nats up by three points at 5-2.

jacob young and Jake Al In the 6th and 8th inning, the catcher made spectacular leaps against the wall to steal extra bases from Dodgers batters, and in the 9th inning, Alex Cole made an even more impressive diving catch, making for an even more impressive defense.

Max Muncy got two runs off Hunter Harvey in the 5-4 eighth inning, but Harvey got through the middle of the inning. Kyle Finnegan took the mound in the 9th inning, but gave one out and a walk to James Outman, Outman stole second, Keibert Lewis’ throwing error put him on third base, and Kolten Wong’s RBI single scored to make it 5-5. However, it resulted in 2 RBIs. With two outs, Luis Garcia made a wonderful sliding play to lead Will Smith to the third out.

I went to the extras (After the Nationals failed to capitalize on a one-out, bases-loaded opportunity in the bottom of the ninth inning,), the Dodgers hit a free runner 6-5, but Keibert Lewis hit a Nats free runner 6-6, and the game ended in the bottom of the 11th inning when Michael Chavis sprinted home from third base with a walk. did. Off wild pitch. Today is a rubber match…