Washington Nationals news & notes: Nats outlast Mariners for 7-4 win in extras in Seattle…

Arvin on T-Mobile:

Returning with two starts after the club skipped a turn in the rotation due to behind-the-scenes efforts, Jake Irvin has had two strong runs out of the gate after hitting the jackpot for the 2018 fourth-round pick. After showing an out, he was struggling in the previous 5 turns. He made his league debut, returning to what the manager saw in the past before he got injured and underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021.

Irvin gave up 1 run on 4 hits in the 5th inning against Miami and held Arizona to 2 runs (got one) 5 hits in 6 consecutive starts.

After Irvin’s D-backs game, Knots skipper Davey Martinez said, “He’s had better legs than I’ve seen all year.” “His head was in a good position behind the baseball and everything was clean. I know it’s going to be a lull, but I’ve only seen him pitch a few innings in spring training, and it was great to see that.”

“We have to keep developing him,” added Martinez. [Pitching Coach Jim] Hickey made it through with him. We sat him down so he missed the start. This is something we have been working on and it was great to see him come out and implement what we talked about. ”

Early returns in post-break games were positive.

“He’s got a really good command,” Martinez said before Irvin faced the Mariners last night at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.

“His legs were much better and I could see Bello biting up and attacking the strike zone. and Hickey straightened him out a little bit and gave him a little bit more strength in not rotating his hips as much and staying up off his legs. His lower body throws better strikes, more consistent strikes, and hopefully he’ll go out again today, repeat that, and give us a good outing.”

Irvin was given a 1-0 lead before taking the mound and smashed the first two batters, but Thailand France took advantage of the back of the inning with a single to center from two outs and Teoscar Hernández. It followed with a double. – A 1-0 sinker run shot right in the zone, just off the middle of the plate, making it 2-1 after one at-bat.

Irvin took out Mariners hitters in turns in the second and third, but gave France and Cal Lowry leadoff and one-out singles respectively in the fourth of the home half.

Lowry knocked France to third base, and Eugenio Suarez’s sack fly extended the lead to 3-1 after the fourth inning. The 15-ball frame brought Irvin to 62 total.

Irvin dropped the Mariners again in the fifth inning, got on base with 73 pitches in the sixth, and gave Julio Rodriguez the lead walk, but was hit by a double play ground ball (6-4-3) in the next AB. A two-out walk put him up to 87 pitches, but the manager left him alone to play against France again, and the first baseman singled into the opponent’s glove to move the runner to third base. That was it for Irvin, who threw 93 pitches.

Jake Irvin quotes: 5H, 3R, 3ER, 2BB, 4Ks, 1HR, 93P, 61S, 5/5GO/FO.

“[He] Gave us a good outing. He stayed there and gave us enough strength to keep us close,” the Irvin manager said after the extra-time victory.

Key moments:

• “Little League Pickoff Run. -Bob Carpenter: Jaymer Candelario singled Mariners starter Bryan Wu with two outs in the first frame of last night’s game, then, as Joey Meneses came to bat, Wu threw a picking throw on first base and hit right field. The Candelario, who hit enough distance into foul territory on his hands, took second and third base, was swayed by third-base coach Gary DiSarcina, and scored on his standing well before the home throw to win 1–0.

• Lane Thomas didn’t have many singles to the opposite field this season before being grounded out to the right on a one-out hit in the top of the fifth. [ed. note – “According to the MASN broadcast of last night’s game, it was his fourth single to right in 2023.”]

One out after the hit, Thomas hit Jaimer Candelario’s 25th double of the year. Mariners outfielder Jared Kelenic attempted a dive by sprinting into the gap on a gloved line drive to left center, but failed. Catch, 3-2.

Bullpen action:

Mason Thompson ended the threat by hitting a short ground ball for the Nationals in the sixth inning with two outs and first and third base. With the help of a rushing CJ Abrams, he defeated Eugenio Suarez on play and throw. in your bag.

In the top of the seventh, Gabe Speyer hit C.J. Abrams and replaced Matt Brach in the pitching, but Derek Hill doubled on a walk and Lane Thomas replaced Luis Garcia with the bases loaded. Abrams scored on Garcia’s center fly. So, 3-3. After two outs, however, the Nats left behind two runners.

Thompson was unable to find an at-bat when he came back in the Mariners’ seventh. Jared Kelenic started the inning with a walk and Mike Ford’s single put it at 1st-3rd. At that point, Martinez went to the pen again to replace Kyle Finnegan, and in the game against CJ Abrams, Ildemaro Vargas grounded short and Knotts got an out at second base and threw home, where Kelenic was called first. Out before replay challenge and reversal, 4-3. It was a near-impressive 6-4-2. Try it either way. And what happened to Abrams? He was hit by a pitch the previous inning and awkwardly slid into the bag at second base, but we’ll have to see Davey Martinez’s comments after the game. Ended the inning at 5-4-3 for the next AB.

[ed. note – “We missed the ‘spike to the hand’ on the play MASN’s Mark Zuckerman noted in a tweet on Abrams leaving the game. Post game comments below as well…”]:

Seattle closer Paul Suwald came on in the eighth inning and immediately hit a tying home run down the low slider in the 1-1 zone to the right, with Keibert Lewis going down the line and hitting 356 feet in right field. . Tie at 4-4. Lewis number 9.

Finnegan dismissed the Mariners in turn in the bottom of the eighth inning. 6 outs on 15 balls.

Hunter Harvey hit a one-out double in the ninth and was sent to the extras.

After the Nationals left a freerunner in the top of the 10th, Mariners leadoff hitter JP Crawford was hit with an IBB and Julio Rodriguez walked (pitch timer violation/4 balls) to put the bases loaded for Thailand and France. Teoscar Hernández dashed out from behind the home to put the first out, then Teoscar Hernández scored the second out, stopping the threat with Cal Lawry’s check-swing grounder.

In the top of the 11th inning, Ildemaro Vargas walks and after one out and one out, Vargas is on second base, freerunner Keibert Ruiz is on third base, and Lane Thomas doubles off former Knots right-hander Trevor Gott. , added 2 points to make it 6-4. , then Luis Garcia singled to put in Thomas and it was 7–4 at the end of the inning.

Weems also returned to the outs, scoring a fly to Wright and back-to-back Ks for the final three outs of the game, 7-4 final.

“This team is relentless and doesn’t give up,” said Davey Martinez after the win.

“They stay focused and stay focused on the game,” he added. “And in the end it was great for us to win. Lane had a big hit to put us ahead and then Lewis got another hit.”

So what about Weems in tenth and eleventh times? Martinez liked it.

“What a great performance he gave. He was great. I talked to him after the first inning and he said he was feeling good and wanted to come back. And I said, ‘Okay. Well, we’ll keep an eye on you, but go ahead and put it out first.” And dude, he did great. ”

[Player’s Name] in the plate:

Dominic Smith has hit a home run in his first 60 games and 250 at-bats this season, hitting .262/.344/. 299 lines were recorded. Nationals this winter.

Smith, who hit a home run in last night’s series opener in Seattle, has hit two homers in his last 14 games, but has gone 13-for-53 (.245/.273/.434) in those games.

Manager Davey Martinez said of Smith, who hit two home runs in the last two weeks, “He’s been working really hard to stay behind the ball and use his legs better.”

“We see it. The important thing is to put your feet under yourself and try to drive the ball into the middle of the field.” That’s all he tried to do with that swing and he hit it, it was a line drive home run, great. ”

Photo credit: Steph Chambers/Getty Images

How are things going for you these past few weeks? CJ Abrams. In his last 10 games to 2 of 3 with the Mariners, the 22-year-old shortstop went 36-for-12 (.343/.378/.543), 4 doubles, 1 homer, 1 walk, 6 He scored and climbed from a .217/.262/.368 annual batting average to .235/.279/.393 before Tuesday’s game. how is he?

“It’s not too much to get the ball in the strike zone once or twice,” Martinez told reporters at T-Mobile Park.

“He’s in the middle of the field, just trying to make a good count instead of chasing. When he’s not chasing, he hits the ball really, really hard. When he’s at the top of baseball, he hits the ball really, really hard.” We always tell him that he’s just trying to hit a hard line drive, and when he does, his ball goes up in the air and doesn’t go under the ball. The important thing for him is to get the ball in the strike zone.”