grays SunDay:
Conversation after Josiah Gray throws a scoreless 6 New York MetsNationals skipper Davey Martinez struck out nine of the 23 batters he faced at Citi Field.
Gray had relied on curveballs this season, drastically reducing his fastball usage in the first four starts from 2022 percentages, but he established it early in New York, and in 1922 he was a rookie. Worked off the pitch against the opposing batter who did the most damage (.305 AVG Allows 24 out of a league-best 38 HR).
“He hit the fastball down and really attacked,” Martinez said.
“I think he blew them away a lot just by throwing a fastball for a strike. I mean, he threw a lot of first-pitch strikes, and from there he used cutters and sliders. Honestly, his key is the fastball. I think.”
Photo by Mitchell Leighton/Getty Images
Of course when he manages to find it.
“We talk about it all the time. The fastball in the strike zone, keeping it down and everything else works for him.”
Gray allowed five earned runs in five innings and allowed three homers in his debut this season, but the 25-year-old right-hander has a 1.59 ERA and a 3.41 ERA in four starts heading into this afternoon’s game. FIP, 8 walks, 21 Ks, and 22 against .238/.316/.333 lines 2⁄3 In the IP, he gave up just one home run.
Sunday’s start went scoreless by two, and they were leading 5-0 when they returned to the mound in the third. Inning, he stole second and scored 5–1 on a two-out RBI single by Brian Reynolds. A two-out walk earned Gray a visit to the mound and a second free, after his pass was loaded to the bases, the Knotts starter scored a ground ball in the first to end the threat.
Gray maxed out at 66 pitches in 3 pitches, which wasn’t ideal, but retired the team in order on the 4th of 15 pitches, avoiding a 2-out double on 5 of 8 pitches, and 6 of 16 pitches. I wrapped things up in . He struck out the last two hitters for 6K total on 105 pitches overall.
Josiah Gray quotes: 6.0IP, 3H, 1R, 1ER, 3BB, 6K, 105P, 63S, 5/5GO/FO.
Gray threw 13 swing strikes, 7 thrown with a slider 37% chance, 5 with a four seamer (33%), 1 with a curve (18%), and 18 strikes Picked up a strike called. It spread over the four pitches he threw.
“He started throwing a lot of curveballs,” Martinez said after the home side avoided a sweep to win 7-2. I love it. He returned there and began to make better use of his fastball. Although he outscored his 11 hitters, he was the only one to get on base. But like I said, he knows who he is and what he wants to do, and he can go out there and say, ‘Okay, I have to make some adjustments. In fact, today was wonderful.
“For a while, I was wondering if he could score over four innings,” Martinez added. ,It was the best. ”
Rainout = Momentum Killer?:
Momentum built by the club’s back-to-back series wins on road trips to Minnesota and New York (NL) stalled somewhat when the series opener against Pittsburgh was postponed by rain on Friday, leaving the Nationals Dropping both ends, a doubleheader at home against the Pirates on Saturday left Washington 2-11 in the US capital for the year.
“We definitely would have been better off playing yesterday,” Martinez said before losing streak to the Bucks.
“The morale is good, we are upbeat, we are playing well. We should have played yesterday.”
Overall, his ballclub .246 AVG as a club was mid-pack, 14th in the Sunday morning majors, .315 OBP 20th, and .344 SLG 28th among major league teams. . Their 15 home runs were 30-of-30, 42 behind Tampa Bay’s league-leading 57, and they were 28th in 97 homers scored on the season. Runner in scoring position?
The .253 AVG with RISP was 12th, the .317 OBP was 24th, and the .330 SLG was 28th.
Martinez was 13-2 with a runner in scoring position with five runners remaining after his club lost 6-3 on Saturday afternoon. In short, that’s exactly what it is.
“Keep swinging the bat. I think I had eight or nine hits today, and I needed that one big hit. I couldn’t do that in the first game.”
They went 1-for-3 with eight left on base in a 16-1 loss at Nightcap.
“I hit some balls hard, but I couldn’t string hits together. It was like that. We have to come back tomorrow and win tomorrow,” Martinez said for the second time in a row. I added it after losing at
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Photo by Mitchell Leighton/Getty Images
We’ve been playing pretty good other than today, so let’s go back to 1-0, come back tomorrow, and play to win tomorrow. ”
“Forget today, come back tomorrow, and have to play good baseball.”
They got off to a good start in the series finale, with back-to-back two-out hits from Pirates starter Johan Oviedo, singles by Keibert Lewis and Joey Meneses, and a two-run double by John Oviedo. Jaymer Candelario, who hit his sixth double of the season, took the Nationals by 2–0 after one game.
Lane Thomas hit a double on a walk and a one-out hit by Victor Robles tripled. Luis Garcia hit two outs and two runs in two innings, singled to right, 4-0, 5. -0 on Meneses’ two-out RBI single.
Dom Smith singled to start the third for the nuts, CJ Abrams doubled to right with one out to set up another RBI opportunity, and Victor Robles scored a two-run double out to left field for a 7- 1. So much for Oviedo…
“We were a little more aggressive,” Skipper said of what was happening at bat.
“Hitting strikes is what we’re really good at when we’re good at it. Pittsburgh, they’re hitting the zone, so we had to be ready.
“I walked a bit today. I haven’t played the last few games in the last few days, but my at-bat was great. This game was snappy and had some good swings.”
Back Page – Move Roster:
Prior to yesterday’s third game in two days with the Pirates, the Nationals announced they made a move in the bullpen.
“The Washington Nationals have selected to contract Triple-A Rochester right-hander Andres Machado and designated left-handed pitcher Anthony Banda for Sunday’s assignment,” said Nationals president and general manager of baseball operations Mike Rizzo. Announced.”
The 29-year-old Vanda, who signed with the Nationals this winter and was the only left-hander in the bullpen to make the Opening Day roster, posted a 6.43 ERA, a 6.08 FIP, and a 6.08 FIP in 10 games and seven innings pitched. 5, recorded 6 walks. Ks, and against the .321/.429/.429 line before he was DFA’d on Sunday.
Machado, 30, had a 2.92 ERA, 1.53 FIP, 2.19 BB/9 and 11.68 K/9 (16 Ks in 12 games). 1⁄3 IP), posting a 3.34 ERA, 4.51 FIP, 3.94 BB/9, and 6.98 K/9 on 59, before getting another chance. 1⁄3 2022 Nationals IP.
He was dropped from the 40-man roster this winter, but after a strong spring, he returned to the organization, went to a top minor league affiliate, and got back to work.
“Even during spring training, he might have been bitter about what happened,” Davey Martinez said after the transfer was announced. I had a long conversation with him and he said, ‘I’m going to work on my way home. And he went there and worked hard and had heard nothing but good things about how he was treating himself there, so like I said, he kept coming back. , will get a pitching opportunity.
Of course, joining a DFA banda (or pitcher/player) is no easy feat.
“It’s always hard when you have to nominate someone,” Martinez told reporters. “But when it came to doubleheaders and pitching, I felt like I needed someone to tell me the lengths. I was thinking of doing it.
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Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images
“He pitches well in Triple-A. We know he gives us multiple innings, so he gives us a little more in our bullpen.”
Martinez said he is not concerned about the fact that his club currently has no lefties at Penn.
“We need players who can be out right now,” he explained.
“In a perfect world, two lefties would be great.
“He did well in Triple-A. He pitched very well for us at the end of last year, so today he’ll get his chance. [Carl Edwards, Jr.] It also works well for lefties. [Hunter] Harvey and those guys, I think we’ve got you covered. ”
Machado ultimately gave the Nationals two scorelessness, taking one hit and one batter in a 29-pitch, 20-strike outing.
“Machado is Machado, isn’t he?” Martinez said when asked to rate the rescuer’s outing.
“He came in — his point is, we always tell him, ‘Hey, you gotta throw a strike. You gotta throw a strike one and put the hitters away. Come on and hit the zone. He has a wide variety of pitches, but his best feature is going in and throwing strikes. When he can do it — his stuff is good. He threw some good changeups, a really live fastball, and some good sliders. With the bullpen a little short, he gave us the two innings we really needed. ”
