Series Winner!!!!:
Trevor Williams entered Saturday afternoon with a 2.35 ERA, 2.80 FIP, 14 walks (2.74 walks/9 innings), 35 strikeouts (6.85 strikeouts/9 innings) and a .220 ERA/.276/.274 slugging percentage in nine starts and 46 innings pitched, a marked improvement from his performance in the first year of his two-year, $13 million contract with the Washington Nationals (5.55 ERA, 5.66 FIP, 3.30 walks/9 innings, 6.92 strikeouts/9 innings, .300 ERA/.359/.533 ERA/.359/.533 slugging percentage in 30 starts and 144 innings pitched). 1⁄3 IP).
Perhaps the biggest difference is the fact that he only allowed one home run in his first 46 innings this year. He allowed 34 home runs in 144 innings, which led the National League. 1⁄3 Innings in 2023.
“He really understands who he is,” manager Davey Martinez told reporters before the game. Seattle Mariners Game 2 of 3 in Washington DC this weekend
“He’s really taking advantage of all the pitches, he’s keeping the ball low and this is all going according to plan for him.”
Photo: Scott Tetch/Getty Images
“We talked a lot about him at the end of the year,” the manager explained, “about how he should pitch going forward. He came home and decided to change his whole routine and do what he needed to do, and now it’s paying off. It’s great that he did it.”
“But he’s throwing the ball downhill. He’s using both sides of the plate. His changeup is really effective and his slider is really good.”
“It’s good to see him out on the court and competing the way he is.”
Williams finished Saturday’s game by allowing just one run on five hits over five-plus innings.A solo home run, his second this season), a 2.29 ERA and a 2.78 FIP. He recorded a career-high eight strikeouts, and the 32-year-old veteran finished with a 2-0 record and a 1.85 ERA with six walks and 24 strikeouts in five starts, according to the team’s postgame report. 1⁄3 May IP.
Williams opened the innings by holding the opposing team scoreless, but gave up a leadoff homer to Julio Rodriguez in his first at-bat in the top of the fifth. The Mariners center fielder smashed a 1-2 changeup 433 feet into center field at Nationals Park to tie the game at 1-1. In the bottom of the second, Cavert Lewis brought home Luis Garcia Jr. with a sacrifice fly to open the scoring.
Ildemaro Vargas scored one run on a grounder in the seventh inning, and Joey Gallo hit a one-run single later in the inning to put Ruiz up 3-1, a lead they held onto.
Robert Garcia took over for Williams in the sixth inning and pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.
Dylan Floro’s scoreless seventh inning extended his scoreless inning streak to 21 2/3 innings, “the longest single-season streak by a relief pitcher in Nationals history (since 2005),” the team noted after the game.
Hunter Harvey pitched in the eighth inning and Kyle Finnegan pitched in the ninth to secure their second straight win against the Mariners and give the Nationals the series victory.
“Our pitching and defense are what keep us in the game,” Martinez said after the game.
“And now we’re scoring enough runs to win these games. So, we’ve played really well the last two games. Our pitchers have been good. Our bullpen has come out and done their job. Our defense has been good and we’re scoring runs. So it’s a good day.”
And it was another good day for Williams.
“He’s been good. He’s been pitching really well. His biggest strength is mixing up all his pitches and confusing guys. He had a good fastball today with two strikes. He did a great job,” Martinez said.
