grotesque?
MacKenzie Gore started 14 games to open the season and posted a 3.24 ERA, 2.95 FIP, and a .262 ERA/.327 on-base percentage/.383 slugging percentage in 75 innings.
But over his next nine starts, the 25-year-old left-hander struggled, posting a 7.24 ERA, 4.79 FIP and a .314/.398/.491 slugging percentage in 41 innings.
Gore’s 10th start during a tough period came last week in the nation’s capital, when he allowed five hits, a career-high six walks and five runs, all earned.
“It was tough,” he admitted in his post-match comments. Quote from MASN’s Mark Zuckerman.
“I’m trying to figure out how to pitch better and give myself a chance to win every time. I don’t know yet, but I’m going to keep working at it. I have good people around me and I think I’m doing the right things before the game. It’s just not going well when I get out there.”
“We have to keep working with him,” manager Davey Martinez told reporters after the game. Melanie Martinez-Lopez of MLB.com.
“He’s got to understand that strike one is going to be his best pitch. He led batters today and was 4-for-17, but then he falls behind. … And on the foul balls, he’s got to stay ahead and get going.”
Martinez told reporters a few days later that he and his coaching staff had been working on a plan between Gore’s starts.
“I’m going to do something different in the bullpen tomorrow, try something different and see what happens there,” he explained. “Then I’ll go out there on Saturday and see what happens. But yeah, I’m [Pitching Coach Jim] Hickey, I’ve talked to McKenzie about doing some stuff with him in the bullpen, so we’ll see what happens.”
GM and Director of Baseball Operations Mike Rizzo told 106.7 FAN’s Sports Junkies. Last week, he saw “pitchers who were struggling with … control and mechanics.”
“He’s a man of great talent who hasn’t yet been able to harness it,” Gore said.
“I think he’s a very smart guy and a very smart pitcher. [Pitching Strategist Sean] He and Mr. Doolittle will work together to understand what the problem is and fix it.”
“I like his whole game,” he added.
“He’s got great talent, great athleticism and great size. I think it’s just a matter of time before he flips the switch and hits the ground running again.”
“The first [11] At the beginning of the season, he was a primary starter in any team’s starting rotation, but he hasn’t performed much better in the last 13 games.”
“I think he has to get back to a model where his throwing motion dictates his arm position and he can throw all four pitches from the same window with the same release point.”
“That would put him back into the pitcher that he was pitching the first 12 games for us, not the pitcher that he was pitching the last 13 games.”
Philadelphia Phillies In yesterday’s game at Citizens Bank Park, Gore started well through the first three innings, but after the Nationals jumped out to an early lead, he allowed a walk and a one-run double with two outs in the fourth inning to tie the game at 1-1, and after finishing the fifth inning scoreless, his performance began to slip in the sixth inning.
Trea Turner doubled to start the inning, then Alec Bohm singled with one out to put the Phillies up 2-1. Nick Castellano singled to left to score the home team’s first run, then JT Realmuto’s RBI single scored Bohm to make it 3-1.
The two-out RBI hit gave the Phillies a three-run lead, and Gore finished for the day after throwing 92 pitches in the fifth inning. 2⁄3 He gave up nine hits, two walks and five earned runs in the innings, losing 5-1.
“It was just one of those days where we just weren’t good enough to win,” Gore said after the game.
“I thought I was doing a little better, but then I gave up five points. I’m a little better, but it’s still pretty frustrating.”
When asked what he thought he’d done better, Gore replied, “I think we were able to attack. We got in the count more. When we weren’t in the count, we got it back. We got some guys on the ground when we needed to and kept the ball inside the yards. That’s what’s important in this ballpark.”
What boxes does he need to check to ensure he’s back to where he was at the start of the year?
“Not allowing five runs is the most important thing right now. To be honest, I thought we could have limited the remaining runs we conceded today, but wins and losses are important here and if we allow five runs then there’s a good chance we’ll lose.”
His superiors were a bit more positive in their evaluation of Gore’s work at CBP.
“McKenzie pitched five really good innings. We gave him a chance to get through the sixth and he didn’t,” Martinez said. “But he pitched a lot better. A lot better.”
“He was efficient. He was attacking the strike zone. Everything was low. When he got hit, he put the ball up. But he was a better pitcher.”
“We talked about keeping the ball down,” he added. “We talked about controlling the ball. He’s done a really good job. His curveball’s a little better. He’s thrown some changeups, which is nice to see. We talked about that as well, but for roughly five innings, he’s thrown the ball really well.”
