Corbin at Fenway:
“We can’t let the men go.” toronto blue jayscaptain John Schneider said, as quoted on MLB.comPatrick Corbin gave up three runs in the second inning in his start in the nation’s capital last week, but he limited the damage after that, ultimately allowing just three runs in a six-inning, 92-pitch start.
“Whether it’s Corbyn; [expletive] Babe Ruth, it doesn’t matter,” Schneider said. “Cy Young, it doesn’t matter. We’ve got to keep honing. That’s something we’re going to work on going forward.”
Corbin gave up a single and a walk in the third inning, then had two hits in the fourth, forcing the last eight batters he faced into the game to retire.
“We were lucky to get those three guys to give up in the second time,” Corbin said. Quoted by Mark Zuckerman of MASN.
“Then put some zeros in. The bullpen came in and put in some zeros.”
Corbin posted a 6.45 ERA, 4.41 FIP, and a batting average of .342/.393/.555 in his first seven games and 37 games. 2⁄3 IP.
His manager, Davey Martinez, who will start the 34-year-old left-handed pitcher at No. 8, said he expects more of the same from Corbin when he plays against him. boston red sox.
“Just attack the strike zone. Keep the ball low. Like I said, his pitching has gotten a lot better. We have to catch the ball behind him and play shutout games. , hopefully he can pitch five or six innings and take the lead,” Martinez said before the series opener at Fenway Park.
On Friday night, Corbin gave Martinez and the Nationals five innings, with Victor Robles striking out the runner at home plate with a line drive to right field and a two-out single in the second, escaping a two-out first-inning predicament for the Sox. . He let his team out in order in the third inning, gave up one run on a two-out double in the fourth inning, two runs in the fifth, and then the manager headed to the bullpen in the bottom of the sixth inning.
At this point, the visiting team was leading 3-1, and the bullpen limited the Red Sox to two hits and four walks the rest of the way, increasing the lead to two runs in the ninth inning.
“It was amazing,” Martinez said after the 5-1 win. “I always say, if you jump out to get an early lead, the pitchers can relax a little bit.
“As we did that, he was able to settle down a little bit. He gave us what we needed. And then the bullpen came in and shut it down.”
Martinez pitched well in the fifth inning, when the Nationals still had a 3-1 advantage, and his pitching was outstanding as he allowed consecutive infield hits to start the inning.
“That was a big moment in the game, and he got out of it with his pitch,” Martinez explained.
“So he got a few infield hits, but he threw the ball really well.”
“We got into a good rhythm as the game went on,” Corbin said. Quoted by MASN’s Bobby Blanco After winning his first W this year. “I think I was able to use all types of pitches well. Throwing it in, throwing it away, changing the speed. In the final inning, I got two infield hits there and was in a difficult situation, but after that I showed good pitching. It was really good to get through five players and keep the lead. We added a few points late and put the game out of reach.”
Robles is back. Playing in right field:
Victor Robles started his first game since returning from a rehab stint with Illinois State a few years ago, and Nationals manager Davey Martinez decided to keep both Jacob Young and Robles in the lineup. He hinted that he might try his best, starting Robles in right field. (In the majors) for the first time since 2019.
“He’s a good athlete,” Martinez said. “So I always think if he can play center, he can play corner. We talked about it with him and made him available for some games while rehabbing in right field, so we’ll be fine.”
The captain said he and his coach will be watching, but he thinks Robles will be OK.
“Look, this is his first game after rehab. I mean, he’s been playing well in Triple-A. When I talked to him, he said he felt great, so I told him I said, “Come on, go outside and play some games.”
“‘We’ll be watching you.’ But for him, it’s just about getting on base, playing good defense and trying to score for us.”
After Robles returned from a hamstring strain, he made an (almost) immediate impact in the Red Sox’ first inning by hitting a nice throw-in from right field to cut off a runner at home plate, then hitting a single in the first inning for two outs. . The Nationals added two runs in the top of the inning to extend their lead to 5-1, followed by an RBI single in the ninth inning.
“We know that Vick can play some defense. He did really well in right field…he did really well in right field,” Martinez said after the win.
“It’s a different throw in the right field seats. He said, “Hey, you threw the ball too high over the line.” I said no. I want to throw to the third base side of home plate. You don’t want to throw it to the other side, but I said, “That was a perfect throw, and you canceled it out real quick.” But he did a good job. ”
“And he gave us a few hits. So it was awesome.”
“As soon as I saw the ball coming, I knew I had a chance to throw him out,” Robles said of the throw to home and the out at home. On one bounce, luckily it flew off to the right, but luckily it flew towards the runner, so I was still able to make it on one bounce. I was satisfied with that. ”
And his two hits?
“It’s the same thing I’ve been working on for the last few years,” Robles said. “Just looking for good pitches, being patient and trying to make good contact.”
“He held the ball really well,” Martinez told reporters.
“He stuck to his fastball and tried to hit it the other way. He had some breaking balls that he could pull, but he did a really good job. He really did that.
“I was so happy and so proud of him. Let’s see what we can get tomorrow.”
Time for Garza Jr.?:
Luis Garcia Jr. made his major league debut in 2020 at the age of 20, so it seems as if he has been around forever, but he is only 23 years old (at least for the next few days), and he’s still figuring out who he can be with the help of Nationals managers and coaches.
“You know, I’ve had him for four years,” captain Davey Martinez told reporters earlier this week when asked about the infielder’s development. I had to find a way to get it out of him and make him understand what we were trying to do, what he was trying to do, and he was starting to understand it. Yes, that’s great. He is active not only in hitting but also in defense.
“He made some good plays,” Martinez added. “I’ve been watching him and his pre-throwing condition has gotten a lot better. He knows what he wants to do right now, whether he’s hitting or playing on the field. It was fun to watch him. There’s still a long season, so we have to keep him going.”
In 31 games and 115 at-bats heading into last night’s series opener against the Red Sox in Boston, Garcia Jr. was batting .321/.374/.491 with nine doubles, three home runs, and nine walks. , recorded 21K. , 7 stolen bases (This is two places behind last season’s record of nine full backs in 144 games.).
Mike Rizzo, D.C.’s general manager and director of baseball operations, told Audacity Sports Junkies last Wednesday morning that early results were a result of tough conversations late last year and Garcia Jr.’s hard work over the winter. He said it was a result.
“Lewis did a lot of work this offseason,” Rizzo told The Junkies. “We had a retirement conference with Lewis and we said to him – it was kind of a question, ‘What do you want to be in your career?’ There are ups and downs in the fourth or fifth year. Do you want to be a player or do you want to be a player who’s been in the major leagues for 12 years? A career can go in two different directions.” And he really took that to heart and trained really hard. I think I had a good offseason. He is feeling much better, moving better and running faster. He always had great hands, head and what I would call bat speed and flick and was a good big league hitter. [Hitting Coach] Darnell [Coles] and C.J. [Assistant Hitting Coach Chris Johnson]Our two hitters were remarkable. ”
Rizzo explained that what we are seeing now is the result of Garcia Jr.’s years of hard work and growth.
“Lewis’ change has been subtle, but it’s something he’s been working on for several years,” Rizzo said. The batter’s box is much better. ”
Of course, only 31 games (Last night, Garcia Jr. went 1-for-4 with one run scored and 32 RBIs.) However, it was a good start for the infielder, who is still developing in his fifth year in the majors and just shy of his 24th birthday.
And he’s not alone.
“When you look, [Trey] Lipscomb and [CJ] Abrams and Lewis, they’re more or less 23 years old and still have time left in their service,” Rizzo added. You can be a good teammate and a good friend. ”