Can Corbyn make a comeback?
All things considered, Patrick Corbin was doing well until last week’s game against the Twins in the nation’s capital. The 34-year-old had posted a modest 3.46 ERA, 3.70 FIP, .294/.354/.480 batting average in five games between April 23 and May 15, but he struggled with control after that and was outplayed by Minnesota, giving up eight runs on nine hits (three homers) and three walks.
The three homers were one more than he had allowed in eight starts and 44 innings pitched.
“It was in the wrong place,” manager Davey Martinez said after the starter threw 106 pitches in six innings.
“He tried to hit three home runs,” Martinez explained, “… and left the ball over home plate. He was in a bad position today. But he pitched well and they let him go six innings, which saved our bullpen for tomorrow.”
“Sometimes you have those days. He played really well and got us in the game. We just didn’t do that today.”
“Hopefully he can put this behind him and be ready to go again in the next five days.”
“Everything was going well before the game,” Corbin said after the game, noting that runners on base — a single for the second home run and a walk for the third — added to the damage.
“The guys were swinging well, but we made a couple of mistakes. A couple of walks, two runners on base, a bunt and a whiff, and then another home run.
“So, every once in a while, a solo home run … I mean, if you hit three, it’s 3-0 instead of 6-0. It makes a big difference.”
“So I didn’t get around the plate a lot today,” he added, “and I just didn’t locate some of my fastballs.”
“He struggled at his position yesterday,” GM Mike Rizzo said. The Sports Junkies on Audacy on 106.7 the FAN The next morning. “He had a lot of at-bats and they had him on us all night, but he’d been very effective for us in four of the previous five games. He beat the Red Sox and pitched well against the White Sox, Toronto and Dodgers. So he had to get back on track and try to get another win for us five days later.”
Corbin’s manager spoke before Sunday’s game about how the left-hander will handle a tough matchup like the one he faced in his last start.
“It’s hit and miss,” Martinez said, “but regardless of how he pitched last time, he generally pitched well the time before that. He pitched well enough that we could win if we scored a run. He pitched well against the White Sox, so I’m hoping he can do the same today and lead us to a win.”
“As we all know, he’s a veteran, he understands, he’s not stuck in the past, he’s ready to go today, he’s done his due diligence and he’s ready to go today.”
Corbin has a chance to help the Nationals win the series on Sunday. Seattle Mariners In the final game of a three-game series in the nation’s capital, he gave up one run in the second inning, but then a walk to the leadoff batter, an error by Nick Senzel who grounded out to third base with one out (that could have set up an inning-ending double play) and a grounder to second base that gave the Mariners a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the inning.
In the fourth inning, Julio Rodriguez smashed a first-pitch sinker into left-center field for a 423-foot home run for a 2-0 lead, then after an eight-pitch battle with Ty France that ended with a walk and a two-run home run, the Mariners first baseman smashed a 392-foot center-cut cutter into left field to give the visitors a 5-1 lead.
“It was just a long at-bat and the only error on eight pitches,” Corbin said of Seattle’s second home run of the game (and the Nationals starter’s fifth in two games). Quote from MASN’s Mark Zuckerman After the match.
“[France] “I fouled off a tough pitch,” he explained. “I dropped a slider and hit it over the middle.”
Corbin retired nine of the 10 batters he faced and kept the score at that level until the sixth inning. The home team fought back with a sacrifice fly by Jesse Winker and a three-run homer by C.J. Abrams to put the Nationals ahead, 5–4, but the Mariners tied the game at 5–5 on an RBI single by Rodriguez and took a 6–5 lead on an RBI single by France. Seattle then added three more runs in the ninth inning to win the game, 9–5.
“We had some good at-bats late in the game that helped us come back and take the lead, but we just couldn’t finish it off today,” Martinez said after the team’s second-best-of-three series victory.
“We fell just short,” he added, “but we’ve played really well the last three days and we want to keep doing that. We have a tough opponent tomorrow but if we keep playing with high energy and tenacity I think we can win some games.”
Martinez talks about Abrams
C.J. Abrams’ home run on Sunday was his first since April 29, when he was batting poorly (.226/.256/.481). He had hit .297/.377/.634 to start the season, with seven homers in that time. After finally hitting one, the manager (And his teammates) Happy.
“Obviously, everybody was ecstatic,” Abrams said after he hit the game-winning homer. “He was super excited. It’s a good moment for him. Hopefully it will lift him up a little bit. It’s not that he’s swinging badly, he’s just not throwing the balls he should be hitting. He has to learn how to walk. That’s the most important thing for him right now. He’s ready to hit, but if they’re not throwing him a fastball or a ball that’s close to hitting, he’s got to get on base. And when he gets on base, he’s going to wreak havoc.
“But he’s learning and he’s playing well. It was a big moment for all of us. What I like is he’s not taking the at-bats to the field. He’s playing really good defense. He really is.”
Gray takes big step:
Josiah Gray started just two games early this season before being placed on the disabled list on April 10 with a right elbow/forearm flexor sprain. The diagnosis came after Gray had a poor performance in both games, allowing 15 hits, five walks and 13 earned runs in eight innings. 1⁄3 Of the innings pitched, seven hits were allowed, three walks were allowed, and six runs were scored in the fourth inning. 1⁄3 He started the game before undergoing an MRI on his elbow.
“He had some elbow soreness,” general manager Mike Rizzo explained after Gray was placed on the injured list. “I think you could see it when he started. I didn’t think he was his usual self. He was pushing the ball and [velocity] “He was a little off, but I didn’t feel anything. It’s good for him to be able to pitch in the next bullpen and say something. I’ve had him examined.”
“It’s like a dull ache in the muscles, the pronator muscles,” Gray says. Quote from MLB.com reporter Jessica Camerato.
“[It’s] “It’s a normal thing for pitchers. The training staff handles it and they take care of me.”
Fifty-one days later, Gray took to the mound on Saturday for a live BP session at Nationals Park against teammates Nasim Nunez and Riley Adams.
how was it?
Photo: Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
“Not bad,” manager Davey Martinez told reporters Saturday afternoon. “It was good, actually. Fastball was good. Changeup was good. Still had a little bit of trouble with his curveball, but we’ll see about that. But overall it was a good performance. He threw 23 pitches on the mound and 27 in the bullpen, so 50 is a good spot for him right now.”
“It definitely put a smile on my face,” Gray said. Quote from MASN’s Mark Zuckerman After weeks of bullpen practice, he was faced with a hit.
“I knew I could bounce back and go out there and compete against hitters. That’s what I love. I just love going out there and competing. So this is a really, really big day. I’m definitely going to enjoy this day.”
Gray varied things up during the live BP, throwing a few of his own pitches in the shortened session.
“I threw a cutter,” Martinez said. “I threw a sweeper a couple times. I threw a slider, which I thought wasn’t bad. I think the sweeper was a little bit… I was trying to manipulate it a little bit. So I had to get him to understand that you can’t use your body to throw it. Just like you throw a fastball, you have to use your arm. But overall it’s good. We’ll see how it feels tomorrow, but it’s a good start.”
It took the Nationals a significant amount of time and some relief pitching to take the next step with their starting pitching, but why wait so long?
“We want to keep it as a precaution. We don’t want him to get injured again,” Martinez explained.
“So we just wanted to take our time and make sure he got his feet moving and everything was OK, and then we’ll be ready to go from there.”
“I [Pitching Coach Jim] After that Hickey felt really good mechanically too, so we’re definitely heading in the right direction.”
What’s next for Gray?
“He’ll be back in five days, he’ll be on the mound two times, then he’ll pitch another five days,” Martinez said. “If all goes well, we’ll get him back in shape and keep him in the five-day rotation.”