Washington Nationals news & notes: Nats take 2 of 3 from Giants in Oracle Park with 11-6 win in finale…

Front Page – Gray for Oracle:

Josiah Gray allowed a solo home run in the third inning of the trip in Phoenix, Arizona, but made two more runs for the Nationals’ 25-year-old starter who missed a pitch in the fourth and ultimately failed to hit. was robbed. He allowed a home run in the 19th inning before the explosion, but in his 2020 debut, he gave up two runs or less in five straight starts following a rough game (5th inning ER).

Nationals captain Davey Martinez told reporters after Gray pitched 92 pitches in five innings in a 3-1 loss to the D-backs.

“He had one hiccup in the fourth inning, threw a lot of pitches, came back in the fifth and calmly took three outs, but by that point he had thrown 92 pitches, so he’s not what he is today. I thought it would be enough.” In the fourth inning, that play hit him back and set the tone for the big inning there. “

“It was a decent match,” said Gray when asked to rate his start. Quoted by Mark Zuckerman of MASN, after the game. “For the fourth time, I have to play a ball or two. You have to make a play. But it was okay. I kept the team in the game for quite some time.

“I should be better, but I thought I was okay.”

Trying to bounce back from a “passable” game, Gray took to the mound at Oracle Park yesterday to face the Giants in the series finale in San Francisco, where his right-hander turned the team off with an eight-ball lead before returning. . In the bottom of the second inning, he leads 4-0 and is out, avoiding one-out walks in the 14-ball frame.

When the Nationals were up 8–0, Gray came out in the bottom of the third and allowed a double to Casey Schmidt to lead the game, but went on a ground ball out, but then scored one to make it 8–1. became. . He extended the inning with back-to-back two-out walks as the starters pushed a little harder, but a fly to left-center ended the 21-ball inning.

With nine pitches, 1-2-3 on No. 5, Gray had 62 total left, but in the bottom of the sixth, he allowed Joc Pederson to double to left center, followed by a single by JD Davis. After that, he got a double. An RBI single by Blake Sabol made the game 10-2. On the day, Gray tallied a total of 78 pitches on 16 pitches.

Gray singled and walked in the bottom of the seventh inning, throwing 15 pitches for just 92 career runs.

Josiah Gray quotes: 7.0 IP, 5H, 2R, 2ER, 4BB, 3Ks, 92P, 57S, 12/3GO/FO.

Gray had only seven whiff strikes on the day, but had 15 cold strikes, five on both the cutter and the curve, and five between the slider and the curve. He emerged victorious in a game that ended 11-6 in the Nats’ favour.

“Efficiency was key for him to get that deep,” Gray’s manager said after the Nationals took 2-of-3 from the Giants. “He kept it to about 92 pitches. He did really well. I’m proud of him.

“He went out there, walked a few guys and then quickly got back into the zone and still kept us in the ball game.”

Martinez was impressed with how focused Gray pitched while maintaining a large early lead.

“In those situations, I try to tell him, ‘I know we scored a lot of goals.’ It’s easy to take it easy,” he said.

“You have to go out there and act like you’re winning 1-0 and you have to pitch yourself.” “

Key moments:

• Alex Cole battled Sean Manaea for 9 pitches, then hit a 92.9-mph fastball on the fourth pitch, followed by a one-out walk in the second inning, leading the team in 17 free passes in 139 at-bats this season. became.

Cole stole two off Giants left-handed catcher Joey Burt and Dom Smith hit a RBI to left center to put the Nationals up 1-0.

After Smith’s liner, Stone Garrett singled, and one out later Riley Adams threw a 1-2 slider into the left field 413 feet out and three runs for a 4-0 lead. His 2023 #1 for Backup Backstop in DC

• Garrett got a two-out bases-loaded chance in the third after a Joey Meneses one-out walk, Jamar Candelario’s ground ball to third base for ROE, and the Nationals’ expected Dom Smith two-out walk. rice field. Extending the lead further, he rose 1-0 and scored two runs into the right field for a 6-0 lead. 2 for 2 with 2 singles.

Next, Ildemaro Vargas became a pinch hitter, and Giants center fielder Austin Slater hustled and dived into the field, but was unable to catch it, and hit a fly to the center with an 8-0 score. So much for Manaea…

“I had good at-bats all day,” said Davey Martinez after the win. “Riley Adams doesn’t play a lot, but he hit a big home run and put us on the team.

“It was a nice day. It’s a nice way to get home from a vacation after a road trip.”

Striped pattern:

Luis Garcia’s four-game multi-hitting streak ended in Tuesday night’s loss, but he had one hit and had a five-game hitting streak, with a record of 11 in 23 at bats (.478/.500/.696). )was. He had a double, a home run and a walk in that stretch.

“He’s been really good,” Davey Martinez said of Garcia’s recent performances ahead of the final game against the Giants.

“He’s had good at-bats. He’s been doing a lot of close-range pitching, and sometimes it’s to his advantage, sometimes it’s not, but we think he’s better than just going forward and swinging. hopes to do so too.

“So he’s doing well.”

Garcia ended his losing streak with 0-for-4, one walk, and two strikeouts through the eighth inning.

Lane Thomas recorded 3-for-5 at bat in the series opener at Oracle Park and 3K for 1-for-5 in the second game of a three-game set, extending his hitting streak to seven straight games, during which he racked up 10 RBIs. Recorded. 28 (.357/.379/.643), recording a triple, two home runs, and one walk.

In the top of the fourth, Thomas extended his winning streak with a 1-for-3 line drive single, scored on a Joey Meneses RBI to make it 9-1, and then went 0-1 with a 78-mile sweeper home run. Relief Tristan Beck hit 392 feet into left field to make it 10-1 with the 4th home run of 2023.

Bullpen action:

Thaddeus Ward took the mound in place of Josiah Gray and allowed the first two batters in the first half for the Giants in the bottom of the eighth with a 10-4 lead and a two-run homer. After a rough start to the inning, he had three outs in a row.

In the top of the ninth, Stone Garrett walked two outs and Ildemaro Vargas scored on a double to give the Nationals an 11-4 victory.

Erasmo Ramirez hit a lead single and a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth, and Casey Schmidt singled to score Lamonte Wade Jr.’s seventh of 2023, making it 11-6.

In Monday’s series opener at San Francisco’s Oracle Park, CJ Abrams spiked the ball on the first of two DPs after a 6-3 return, but his aim was on target and he scored two. My footwork improved in the real game.

Infielders Abrams and Knott combined to hit four double plays in a 5-1 victory over the Giants.

Nationals manager Davey Martinez discusses differences between Abrams’ 6-3 two-thrower and the overall defense from the center field in the opening game during the Giants’ pregame press conference for the second of three games at home. rice field.

“His footwork was bigger in the first,” he said of Abrams’ spike throw, which was picked up cleanly by first baseman Dominic Smith.

Photo Credit: Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images

“He kicked the base with his reverse foot and threw the ball straight into the ground. The second time he put his foot under himself and really went over the base. Using his feet is much better when throwing. That’s why we think it’s important for him to use his feet on every pitch, and that’s what we’re trying to teach him.The fact of the matter is that it’s between him and Luis Garcia, and they’re double-playing now. How to reverse has really helped us and I know yesterday we turned 4. They’ve been reversing and they’ve been very good and we’ve been talking Some of the things that are going on are that a routine double play has to be a routine double play, but they were really good at it.”

After his team lost 4-1 in Game 2 of the series, Martinez spoke about shortstop throwing issues. It was after the shortstop failed a few throws and was blamed for one error. (Eighth and fifth throwing errors in the early stages of the season)).

His manager said it would involve the club’s infield coach tackling the 22-year-old shortstop.

“He’s got to work his legs and with a little better use of his lower body, he’ll carry the ball a little bit better,” Martinez explained. “[It’s] What Gary Knows [DiSarcina] and ricky [Gutierrez] I will discuss it with him and he will continue to work on it, but he has to be very prepared. “

Photo Credit: Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images

Abrams took a break for Wednesday’s series finale, but his manager made it clear it was planned and not punitive.

“It was a scheduled vacation for him that day. Looking at the schedule would give him the opportunity to give him two days off,” Martinez explained.

“He has played really well.

“But if he gets half of what he has today, or all of it today, and tomorrow, then on Friday he’ll start feeling fresh.”