Washington Nationals news & notes: Jackson Rutledge earns first MLB W in Nats’ win over Braves…

Rutledge’s first MLB win:

Going into the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader in Washington, D.C., Washington Nationals skipper Davey Martinez will start 24-year-old Jackson Rutledge, the Nationals’ 2019 first-round draft pick, No. 19. He said he was excited to see him play against the Atlanta Braves’ roster. As a team, they boasted a batting average of .276/.343/.502, which was tops in the major leagues, and the line overall was tops in the majors.

Martinez said this will be a great test for the rookie right-hander.

“Yeah, 100 percent,” he said in his pregame press conference at Nationals Park.

“This is a tough lineup with one win and nine losses. But if it really happens… [he] can throw strikes [he] I can handle it. ”

This was a good test for Rutledge, Game 2 starter Joan Adon, and the entire Nationals roster.

“In order to compete and be the best, you have to compete against the best players. And obviously right now the Atlanta Braves are at the top, so we have to continue to grow and what our plans are. We have to figure it out, but they have a chance to go out there and play against some of the best hitters today, so I’m looking forward to seeing them play against each other,” Martinez said.

Rutledge struggled in his MLB debut, but bounced back with a strong start in his second major league game, and his manager wanted to see him improve in his second game.

“I want him to go out there and compete, like we always talk about. Throw strikes and move on. Move on, keep moving on. His last outing. Please use this as a basis.

“[Rutledge] We threw the ball very well in the last game, so please build on that. ”

Rutledge took the mound against the Braves and pitched five innings, winning 3-2 and earning his first major league double, holding the visiting team to three hits, two walks, and one earned run. The first was a leadoff walk, a one-out single that put runners on the corners, and the second was a sac fly that resulted in the only run the 6-foot-7 starter allowed in the start.

Rutledge retired his team in order in the third inning, avoided a leadoff walk in the top of the fourth, and in the fifth and final inning, he hit a one-out double and struck out MVP candidate Ronald Acuña Jr. three times. The 86th pitch of this game was a high fastball -2 pitch.

Up 2–1 at the time, the Nationals added one run in the sixth inning, and the key score came in the top of the ninth when the Braves’ Sean Murphy hit a home run off Kyle Finnegan.

“He was good,” Martinez said of Rutledge’s performance in the one-point win.

“We just have to move him forward. He fell behind a lot of guys, but he still threw through and did well.

“The fifth inning is a big moment for him,” the coach continued, “and he did well, so I’m proud he stayed there, but we have to start him. He endured that his 3-0 pitch should have been “0-0…3-0,” but it should have been 0-0 the count he did from the beginning. .

“But he did well, and I’m proud of him. He played big in the big moments, but he did really well.”

Rutledge said pitching coach Jim Hickey gave a similar message about getting ahead of hitters early in the game.

“It’s kind of what we were talking about in those two or three innings,” he said. “Hickey came in and said we have too many 3-2 counts and we have to cut back. But actually, we’ve done a really good job this year with 3-2 counts. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. I don’t know, but I think I just kept at it and had full confidence in everything I was putting in those counts, but obviously I’m happy with the results I got today and I’m looking forward to the future. can reduce them.”

It was a solid start for Rutledge, and the coach said the starter has impressed given the opportunity late in the season.

“I like what I see. I like the fact that he’s been able to persevere and get in there and pitch in the big moments and do well,” Martinez said.

“Today was a moment where he grew a little bit. He got a big win at the end, so we had to continue to grow from there.”

“They’re a very good lineup in terms of conditioning,” Rutledge said of facing the Braves’ 100-win lineup.

“So it’s kind of a cat-and-mouse game of what they’re thinking and what I’m thinking, mixing up pitches a lot, thinking about two-seams and four-seams, what they’re thinking. I kind of switch up and down throughout the game based on what I’m seeing and what I’m seeing, and that’s the fun part about having five pitches, it’s that I can play it a lot. It’s something you can manipulate. ”

His thoughts heading into the matchup with Acuña Jr. – What is the best SLG (.597) in the majors so far in 2023?

“I definitely think I was a little more nervous before the game than I was during the game,” Rutledge explained.

Photo by Mitchell Leighton/Getty Images

“When I got on the mound and saw him in the box, I thought he was just a different guy. And then I looked at the scouting report again. Of course, I had a must-see spot with him. I know.

“Obviously, he beat me in his first at-bat (single) and hit a strong ball with a slider that he hit mildly, but he didn’t hit it all the way, but really that third at-bat he was confident. I just went out to bat and didn’t panic.” 3-2, there was nothing to worry about. It was just, “I know where I’m going to put this pitch.” And once we get there, we’re going to beat him. ” And I did. ”

By doing what he did, Rutledge learned a valuable lesson.

“It tells me I belong here,” he said, Quoted by Mark Zuckerman of MASN. “Even against one of the best batting lineups in baseball, I can do it. I can be successful. That gives me confidence moving forward.”