Washington Nationals news & notes: Nats beat Royals in series opener in Kansas City, 12-10; Victor Robles update + more…

Front Page – Corbin vs Royals:

Patrick Corbin, who started in the game against Detroit in the capital last weekend, gave up two runs with two outs and a two-run homer in the first inning, but his 33-year-old left arm held off a Tigers hitter there. After a tough start, he finished five games scoreless.

After this game, Corbin started seven games in a row, recording 3 or less earned runs, posting a 3.40 ERA, 3.91 FIP, 4 walks, 25 kicks, and a .259/.274/.388 batting average. against 42 years ¹⁄₃ Your IP is beyond that range.

“Patrick Corbin was great. Other than home runs, he threw the ball really, really well,” Nationals manager Davey Martinez told reporters after the 5-2 win over the Tigers.

“He’s calmed down,” added Martinez. “He started throwing a little more changeup. The slider was good today, the slider really worked. Keep the ball down. [homer] He has to hold the ball down, probably because the only pitch he threw was hit. ”

Martinez said he thought attacking in the zone was key for Corbin in this recent game, referring to the runs the southpaws were making before last night’s game.

“He’s attacking in the strike zone, taking the lead early on and finishing off opponents, but his swing is fast and the ball is down,” Martinez said. “I think the key for him is to keep the ball down. He’s got a lot better on the slider and changeup, so it’s all about the ball dropping, but he’s doing really well. So I hope he goes out there today and does the same thing: hold the ball, throw strikes, get early contact, limit damage and that’s what he’s done the last three or four times. This is what I came up with on the expedition of

Corbin struggled to find control, but seeing he was trailing 1-0 before taking the mound in Kansas, he evaded the leading walk, then hit a two-out hit and a free pass on a 28-ball first. Stopped 3 runners. city.

The left arm left a total of 48 balls with 8 balls of 1-2-3 in the 2nd inning and 12 balls of 1-2-3 in the 3rd inning, but the 7-batter streak record ended with a double by the first batter. Bobby Witt Jr. advanced with a walk to MJ Melendez, the Royals attempted to steal second base, and scored on Keibert Lewis’s erroneous throw to third base in a 1-1, 2-1 two-out. Michael Garcia, who lined up a zone-out changeup at 3-2 in the left field seat, hit a RBI double.

After the Nationals had eight runs in the inning to take a 9-3 lead, Witt Jr. hit a 1-2 curve low in the 416-foot left zone to lead the Royals in the sixth.

Corbyn held off the next three batters to get through the sixth inning with 92 total pitches, giving back-to-back singles and walks in the seventh, and the bases loaded before taking the first out. Pop, on his 108th and final pitch…

Patrick Corbin quote: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 6 Ks, 1 HR, 108 P, 66 S, 8/1 GO/FO.

Jay Biggerstaff – USA TODAY Sports

Corbin had 13 swing strikes on the night: 8 sliders, 19 call strikes, 10 sinkers, 7 sliders, 1 changeup and 1 curve.

Erasmo Ramirez took over and Salvador Perez hit a 2-run double over the left to make the Nationals 9-5. It was struck. Across the middle of the plate, 9-8. Carl Edwards, Jr. took the outs from second to third.

“It was really good,” Corbyn said after the Nationals won 12-10. “I thought I had a good shot today. I missed the slider, I had a good fastball, I threw a fastball when I needed it, and I scored a second early, but overall I thought I was pretty good. So when you look at the score, you can see that we conceded six goals, but we couldn’t be happier and we got the win.”

Key moments:

• Lane Thomas had a career-high 21-game on-base streak that night, hitting safes in 19 of 21 games. He didn’t waste any time deciding to extend, taking a sweeper in the middle of the 421-foot left field seat from Royals starter Jordan Lyles at Kauffman Stadium (exit speed = 165.3 mph) to win the series this weekend. Hit the first home run in the opening game. The game set against the Royals is 1-0. The home run was Thomas’ eighth of the season, his eighth in May in 23 games and 99 at-bats after not hitting a single out in 25 games and 107 at-bats over the first month of the year.

• Luis Garcia hit a belt-high fastball for 2-1 with a double to the left field line, and Joey Menezes doubled a 2-2 inside sweeper to the left field seat for his 13th double. rice field. We caught up with a 2-2 tie in the top of the 6th inning. In the next game, Jaimer Candelario walked and Jordan Lyle’s 91st pitch, and as the Royals’ starter took the mound, Corey Dickerson went full count to Lyle’s 98th pitch. , hit a 91 mph fastball right out and scored 391 RBIs. -Feet, 3-run blast, Nationals 5-2. Garcia got back up again with a new arm, carrying right-hander Josh Stowmont’s first pitch curve to left field and hitting a two-out double for a 7-2 lead. Meneses’ second hit of the inning was a two-run RBI to right field to make it 9-2.

• With the score 9-8 in the Nationals’ favor after seven games, Garcia and Meneses hit back-to-back singles again, and Jaymer Candelario doubled with a 0-2 sinker off Jose Cuas into left field. I let go. – 11-8, then 12-8 triples on Stone Garrett’s RBI single.

Garcia also hit a single in the top of the ninth to finish the night 6-6 at bat…

Five of Garcia’s six hits were field knocks in the opposite direction.

“It’s great,” Martinez said of second base’s big night. “And that’s what he’s really been working on,” he added of the opposing field hit. ”

Patrick Corbin quipped after the win, “One more hit would have set the record. Whenever I do, I’m tough at bat.”

Bullpen action:

Davey Martinez has made it clear in recent weeks that he’s open to alternating between Kyle Finnegan and Hunter Harvey in the closing innings.sooner if needed) Given the strengths of each pitcher and each night’s matchup, he said he would do so in the later innings, even though Harvey ruined things with a fourth save chance after the Nationals fought back. Told. And then take the lead late in the series finale against the San Diego Padres earlier this week.

“We’re going to continue to do what we did with those two guys,” Martinez said ahead of last night’s series opener in Kansas City.

“Both of those guys are pitching in high leverage situations. Yesterday Finnegan pitched in the eighth and got some big outs against heavy hitters. Then he put in Harvey at the closer and it didn’t work out. rice field” .

“But they’re both our backend guys and you can throw as well.” [Carl Edwards, Jr.] It’s been there seven or eight times as well. ”

Last night, Martinez tried to stay away from both Finnegan and Harvey.

After taking the final two outs in the seventh, Edwards Jr. allowed two one-out singles around the bases in the eighth inning, but after Chad Cool had an opportunity to pitch higher, he was able to get the ball. Two of the remaining runners scored. – leveraged innings, 12 for 10.

Cool came back in the ninth inning, leaving the team to make his first save of his career, ultimately going 12–10.

Jay Biggerstaff – USA TODAY Sports

In the post-match interview, Martinez said Finnegan and Harvey weren’t the only ones he was avoiding in the season opener.

“No, there were many others,” he said.

“We played every player that we thought was available today. We got Mason. [Thompson] We were on the verge of leaving him, even though we waited until the last minute for an emergency. ”

Back page – Robles’ back page:

Manager Davey Martinez told reporters before the series opener against San Diego earlier this week that outfielder Victor Robles, who suffered a back spasm on May 8 and was injured while traveling to the IL, remains in good shape. said.

Before the series opener last night in Kansas City, the Nationals captain said the 26-year-old outfielder is taking longer than he originally expected.

“We thought he would get over it.” [back] I had a cramp that something was wrong, but it’s definitely going to take some more time,” Martinez explained.

“We want to be very careful with him because we are dealing with past issues, but he said he felt better today. I’m going to do it and then hopefully soon.I know he took some swings off the tee, very light.I hope that progresses.”

360 in 107 at-bats before injury, with four doubles, eight stolen bases, 10 walks and 14Ks, Robles is off to a strong start to his seventh major league season. Chopped. .