Goa Geos:
Mackenzie Gore threw 47 of 101 pitches, allowing 4 of 5 hits and 2 of 3 runs allowed in the first and second long innings in his 2024 debut, but then pitched in the next four innings. He remained calm and only conceded goals. The rest were hits, walks, and runs.
Gore got a little carried away early on, peaking at 98.6 mph with his fastball and averaging 97 mph on that pitch (2MPH up from last year’s season average), the manager later said it was likely a result of the extra adrenaline from the Nationals’ home opener.
“He was putting out 98 degrees of power, so I think he had a little bit of adrenaline going,” Davey Martinez said after the 8-4 loss. pittsburgh pirates.
“But he settled down. He was 97-98 when I took him out, so that was good for him. I think he learned a lot today, so within the next five days He’ll come out and be ready again.”
“Adrenaline is good if you use it the right way,” Gore said of the bumps in the velo. Quoted by Mark Zuckerman of MASN.
“I’m not necessarily saying it was the best way to do it. But I was excited.”
His manager was excited to see Gore mix into his secondary just like he did in his first start of the year.
Gore threw 49% of his fastballs, mixing in a slider (18%) and a changeup (17%, up from last year’s average of 2.9%), and curve balls (17%), produced 14 swinging strikes (With a total of 41 swings) and 21 call strikes (9 times with fastball, 1 time with slider, 4 times with changeup, 7 times with curveball.).
“We talked about it all spring,” Martinez said of focusing on his second, which includes his changeup.
“The fact that he went out there and used it was great. He pitched pretty well with his changeup and breaking ball. We know he has a good fastball, but he… When he starts throwing fastballs, it throws the batter off balance.
“and [if he really throws] Once the ball gets over the plate, he’s going to be really effective. ”
That last comment recalled Martinez saying before the game that southpaws need to challenge hitters in the zone.
“The biggest thing for him is keeping the ball in the zone,” he explained in his pregame press conference.
“No one’s going to chase the ball in the other batter’s box. He’s supposed to be in the zone. His mistakes should be — he wants swings and misses, well, those are It has to be close to the zone.”
Gore, starting No. 2, again hit over 97 mph and threw his fastball 67% of the time through the first two innings, recording five swings and three called strikes early on, but one midway through. Despite giving up a run, Whit Merrifield’s 0-1 four-seam fastball moved him into the zone, Merrifield stole base, and Edmundo Sosa hit a double with an RBI on a 1-1 curve low in the zone. . Drive in the first run of the game, 1-0 phillies.
With the game tied 2-1 in favor of the Nationals, Gore got consecutive strikeouts from Alec Bohm and Nick Castellanos to close out his fourth 18-pitch game, then pitched 69 overall for a total of 4K.
After four games, his fastball rate had dropped to 55%, but he had nine missed strikes (six with heaters) and 10 called strikes (seven with fastballs).
But Sosa hit Gore in the top of the fifth inning, hitting a 1-0 slider into the left field seats for a tying 2-2 home run.
Gore was up to 85 pitches by the end of the fifth inning, and still had a 3-2 lead when he came on the pitch in the sixth inning, but he had Trea Turner and Bryce Harper ejected and reliever Jordan Weems took over. I entrusted…
Mackenzie Gore’s line: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 Ks, 1 HR, 92 P, 58 S, 3/3 GO/FO.
Gore finished the day with 11 swinging strikes (eight on fastballs, thrown 53 percent of the time) and 12 called strikes (seven on heaters), averaging 97.2 mph.
The bullpen held on to a one-point lead, and the Nationals won the final game against the Phils, avoiding a sweep.
“It’s been great,” Gore said of the trip overall. “It was a day where we had to find a way to win the game and I thought everyone did a great job of that.”
Gore was happy with his fastball and leaned into it.
“It was good. I think it was good because I used it correctly. So I thought this was the best pitch today, so I used it.”
“I think it could have been a little better because the fastball location, the way I got into it, I wanted to use that,” he added.
“He’s got a fastball,” Davey Martinez said. “For me, like we talked about, it’s his mistakes. If he can keep his mistakes close to the zone, it’s hard to lay off and his ball has such a slow ride. So , when he does that and is at the plate, he can throw the ball up, he can throw it down, and when he mixes in his changeup and curveball, he’s pretty nasty.”
Abrams sits down again:
Davey Martinez was asked how concerned he is about C.J. Abrams’ bone bruise in his left little finger, which he slipped into second place in Friday night’s series opener against the Phillies.
Abrams, 23, did not play in two of the three games against Philadelphia in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, but Martinez is a wait-and-see model as to how concerned he is about the shortstop. He said he was taking a stance.
“We’ll see tomorrow,” he said. “At the moment, the hope is that he can play tomorrow, but if he can’t play tomorrow, he’ll be a little concerned.”
Abrams was not in the Nationals’ lineup for Sunday’s series finale.
“He’s still a little sore,” Martinez explained before the match. Quoted by MASN’s Bobby Blanco.
Photo by G. Fiume/Getty Images
“So it’s still day-to-day. Let’s see how he feels throughout the day. He’s getting treatment. And today we’re hoping he can pinch hit late in the game.” But I don’t want to push it too hard. I don’t want to make it worse.”
And what about the future? The Nationals will play the Giants in San Francisco tomorrow night at 9:45 p.m.
“I hope he can get through today. I hope he won’t be needed,” Martinez said. “And once we get to the West Coast, he’ll start playing again. But I’m going to keep an eye on him.
“Like I said, he’s going to get treatment. I’m sure he’s going to go out and hit like he did yesterday for a little bit, and then hopefully he’ll do well.”
Abrams did not play in Sunday’s series finale.
“I wanted to get away from him today,” Martinez said after the win. “He says it still hurts. Let’s see how he feels. I mean, today he might be a pinch runner or something, but tomorrow he’s going to be a lot better.” Hopefully, we’re going to check on him, get him here and get some treatment, and see how he feels.”
About Rizzo and Davey, Strasburg:
“Today I am announcing my retirement from the game I love,” Stephen Strasburg said in a statement Sunday morning about the end of his career.
“After many attempts to return to being a pitcher, I realized,” he continued, “… due to my injury, I could no longer play at the major league level.”
This resulted in the first overall pick in 2009 and the 2019 pick. world series MVP has officially announced that there is no chance of a return at this point, but that he is far from making his final major league start in 2022.
But the surgeries, setbacks and disappointments that followed the 2019 World Series win aren’t what GM Mike Rizzo or manager Davey Martinez think of when they look back on their careers.
“The outcome was something no one could have predicted,” Rizzo told reporters on the field before Sunday’s game. “…But I don’t remember the ending.
“I remember the journey and the climax of riding in the Corvette when he won World Series MVP. …Or trying to ride in the Corvette when he won MVP. ”
“He definitely wanted to pitch for us more,” Martinez said in the pregame press conference. But he gave everything he had. I was here with them when he was suffering from injuries and surgeries, and he tried really hard to come back, but he couldn’t do it.
“I wish him and his family all the best. I’ll be contacting him in the next few days to thank him again for everything he’s done. He’s had a great career.”
Is this the end of Strasburg’s career?
“It’s sad,” Martinez said. “That’s true. But you know that’s a decision you have to make as a player, and he made that decision. I’m not going to remind him that he was injured. We’re going to remember, as we all should, what he did for this organization and what he did for this organization. He had an unbelievable run. So you should be proud of it. I know I am.”