Washington Nationals news & notes: Jackson Rutledge bounces back from a rough debut; Nats 4-3 over White Sox…

“Honestly, it was pretty much what I expected,” 2019 first-round pick Jackson Rutledge said of his major league debut at PNC Park last week.

“It’s a beautiful stadium, a beautiful place to play,” the 24-year-old told reporters.

But things didn’t go as he had hoped, and the 6-foot-7 starter was on the brink of ending the game after giving up 10 hits and seven runs on 33 pitches in the first inning, including six hits and four runs. Go out really early.

“Obviously, I was dreaming of a better first inning,” Rutledge admitted after three innings. ²⁄₃ “But…it’ll be better next time.”

Rutledge said he was able to calm down a bit once he got through the first stage.

“I think my pitching mix has gotten better,” he said. “I think I use the bottom of the zone well.

“My bread and butter is getting ground balls, and I didn’t get a lot of ground balls tonight. That’s kind of proof.” [sign] of [the] Some of the zones I was using. Maybe I’m using the four seams a little too much.

“Later in the game, I used my two-seamer a little more and had some success. And I ended up getting a breaking ball and a quick out, so that’s something I want to continue to do.”

“When he started throwing the ball in the zone and got on top of the ball, the ball came out really well,” coach Davey Martinez said after the game.

“Overall, his production is good. We have to get him to throw more strikes and stay ahead of the batter. In the first inning, he threw some pretty good pitches. He threw a lot of pitches there. Just hurt a little bit. But overall, I thought he was okay in the first game, and I was really okay. I’m not going to see any runs. But he pitched pretty well. . So we’ll have him back in the field within five or six days.”

In Rutledge’s second start, the D.C. captain said he wants to see the right-hander relax there and try to do what he’s been doing all season in the minors.

“I think he can relax a little bit more today, I really think so,” Martinez said in a pregame meeting with reporters. “He hit his stride in his first game. I want to see him slow down a little bit and go for the next pitch. I think you’ll see a big difference in that today. hoping.

“The first start for anyone is usually a little bit of excitement. So hopefully he’ll settle down a little bit… and throw strike one, which is important, and get ahead of the batter. I understand that he is there, so we’ll see how he does today.”

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In fact, he did really well.

Rutledge was efficient, allowing two runs on six hits (both home runs), one walk, and two strikeouts, and pitching just 78 pitches (53 strikes) in six innings. ¹⁄₃ IP ultimately won 4-3 chicago white sox.

He produced 10 swings and 10 called strikes overall, and got nine ground outs (up from just one in his debut).

Louis Robert Jr. hit Rutledge’s first-pitch changeup over the middle of the plate and over the left field in the fourth inning, hitting the first of his two starting home runs, but that was all the Sox had until the sixth inning. , his pitch count was relatively low (73 after six hits), and the manager sent him out in the top of the seventh inning, and Yoan Moncada, in his first at-bat, hit a low curve into the zone that went over the middle of knee height. I hit my first home run. Rutledge got one more out before calling it a night.

“It was good,” Martinez said after Joey Meneses hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning to put the home team on top and give the Nationals the win.

Martinez liked the way his starter bounced back.

“We talked about it for five or six days straight and said, “Hey, forget about that. Move on to the next item and move on from there.” Like the biggest thing I told them was, “You have to slow down and stay in the moment.” Don’t get ahead of yourself. ‘And he did it tonight. ”

“For me, it feels like I’m moving at normal speed,” Rutledge said of her ability to work quickly and efficiently while on the go.

“I tend to get ahead of myself sometimes, but I’m actually slowing myself down. It feels slow to me. It may not seem like it, but that’s how I’ve always approached it.” That’s it.”

When asked what was different this time around, Rutledge said that after the whirlwind of his debut, he was able to get into a routine this time around.

“I think the big thing about this game compared to last time was that I was pitching over the last 10 days,” he explained.It was a little difficult to start after obviously skipping the start last time. [my debut]. This time it felt more everyday. I was just trying to get into a really solid routine with all the trainers and staff here. It definitely helped. And I felt really comfortable out there and felt like my team had my back. ”

“For one thing, he was much calmer,” Martinez said. “Second, he attacked the strike zone. He really did. His fastball was good today. He threw the ball well. There were some good balls, but he attacked the strike zone. I like the fact that we went on offense.”

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Rutledge said the key is to attack, especially in the zone, and get out ahead of the hitter.

“I’m definitely ahead of the rest,” he said. “I’ve done a much better job than that. And establish the bottom of the zone. [Catcher Drew] Milas did a really good job there. I think he probably took a few runs away from me, which is always nice. He just got into the zone early with his sinker. And a heavy right-handed lineup, that’s going to be the offense for me. I used a sinker/slider a lot and it worked well at the bottom of the zone. ”

The coach was impressed with how Rutledge rose to the challenge and responded with a solid start in his first game.

“He bounced back, kept his heart rate down and pitched really, really well. That team could hit, so it was good, it was good.”

“He had a good tempo and a good rhythm. I think once he got through the first inning, he really knew, ‘All I have to do is throw strikes.’

“When he pumps strikes, it makes things a lot easier for him. He was calm throughout the game, which was really good.”