Gore in Atlanta:
MacKenzie Gore struck out 10 of 22 batters he faced and walked none on Wednesday night at Truist Park, becoming just the 11th player in Washington Nationals history to accomplish the feat.
Gore joins five other players with one each – Josiah Gray, Patrick Corbin, Tanner Roark, Gio Gonzales and John Lannan – while Joe Ross, Jordan Zimmerman and John Patterson all have two each, and Stephen Strasburg (10) and Max Scherzer (20) top the list.
Gore, 25, allowed six hits and two runs (one earned) in five innings. 1⁄3 He pitched one inning in three of the four games against the Braves in Atlanta this week, leading them to a 7-2 victory that ensured at least a split with their National League East rivals.
He pitched over five innings on the mound, throwing 97 pitches, totaling 13 whiffs and 11 strikes on the night. One run was scored on an error in the bottom of the third, and an earned run was scored in the bottom of the sixth after he left the mound with one out at second base and allowed a single to the leadoff batter, striking out his 10th batter before sending two runners into scoring position, one of whom scored on a double that was scored by Dylan Floro after he was replaced.
Gore’s 10-strikeout start came the night after fellow rotation starter Jake Irvin reached double figures with 10 strikeouts in a 2-0 loss.
“Two guys, young guys, striking out 10 batters. [in] “Any time you play a team that can hit, that’s pretty impressive,” Davey Martinez said after Gore’s 7-2 win.
“Mackenzie kept us in the game all night and pitched really well,” the manager added in his post-match press conference.
“We always [how] McKenzie’s pitching is really good. They’re utilizing his fastball, but they’re also mixing in a curveball when they need to, and they’re being effective and they’re getting more efficient. That’s what’s great about them. [Pitching Coach Jim] Hickey talks to them about it every day. They understand what they can do in certain situations, and they embrace it and they do well.”
Irvin’s two walks in the second of three games in Atlanta were the only walks issued by a Washington starter in the series, making the manager ecstatic.
“We’ve got to attack the strike zone,” Martinez said. “That’s what we’ve got to do.”
“We can’t give anybody a free pass. Our starting pitchers have done a really good job in that regard, and it’s trickling down to all of our players.”
“They’re attacking the zone and getting hitters into swing mode, so they’re seeing good results.”
After the Nationals fell behind 1-0 early in the innings, Lane Thomas hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning and Jacob Young singled to drive in two runs in the sixth inning to give the visitors a 5-1 lead, then Keivert Lewis added a two-run single in the ninth to seal the victory, 7-2.
Martinez said he saw a change in the at-bats after Thomas’ home run gave the Nationals the lead.
“It was a big deal for us,” he explained.
“But I kept saying, we’re still on the attack and we’re ready for someone to score. I think we were four and no runs before that and that was a big score for us.”
“After we got the lead, I feel like the guys opened up and got better at-bats.”
Rizzo on Robles’ DFA:
This was his first appearance on 106.7 FAN’s Audacy’s The Sport Junkies since the Nationals made the difficult decision to DFA 27-year-old outfielder Victor Robles, who joined the team from the Dominican Republic in 2013, made his debut in 2017 and helped the team win a championship. World Series Fast forward to 2019. It was an emotional moment for everyone involved, including manager Davey Martinez, who has worked with Robles since 2018.
But ultimately, Rizzo said, it came down to roster shortfalls. With Jacob Young playing well for the team in center field, Lane Thomas returning from injured reserve and several young, highly-touted outfield prospects moving up the ranks, it was ultimately the right decision to designate Robles for assignment and give him the opportunity to explore other options around the league.
Photo credit: Elsa/Getty Images
“This is a brutal job sometimes,” Rizzo told Junkies Wednesday morning.
“I would love to have a 50-man roster or something like that, but the roster has to be made according to the rules. [Jacob] “Young has earned the right to play center field every day in the major leagues. I think he’s a driving force for the team, a player who will be here when we win a championship again, a player who will really help the franchise win. With the outfielders who will be here shortly from the minor leagues, I think the numbers game has been won.” [Robles].
“We needed to make room for Lane,” he continued. “I think that was a big factor for me, not just for us and the roster shortage, but for Victor. He’s 27 and still has a lot of talent. But he’s struggled here. So he needs a new uniform, a change of environment and see if he can make a leap and do something.”
Both Rizzo and Martinez acknowledged their conversations with Robles after the transfer were emotional.
“It’s been tough. It’s been really tough,” Martinez said earlier this week. “All I can say to him is best of luck and keep working hard. He needs to find himself and he’ll help a team somewhere. And like I said, I just wish him the best of luck. But I have a lot of thoughts and feelings about Vic. We’ve been through a lot together.”
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Photo: Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images
“Without him moving around in center field and performing like he did that year, we’re not going to win the World Series,” the captain added. “It’s been tough for him with the injury, but like I said, I still think he’s a very good player and a very valuable player.”
“He’ll help somebody. Hopefully, if nothing happens, he’ll come back here.”
“It’s been difficult,” Rizzo said Wednesday. “We’ve known him since he was 16 when we signed him. There are a lot of good memories and there have been no issues on his side or our side. When people ask me about him I say he’s a very good kid, full of energy, plays with his hair on fire and sometimes that’s good for the club and sometimes it hurts the club. We’ve always tried to tame that. There’s a fine line between trying to tame the enthusiasm of youth and playing in a controlled manner and I think that’s a big part of what he still has to learn.”
