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Washington Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
‘I was just bad today': MacKenzie Gore doesn't have it in Nats' 8-1 loss
When the baseball left Xander Bogaerts's bat, MacKenzie Gore sauntered toward home plate. It was the first inning, and the bases were loaded. There were no outs. In the best-case scenario, the deep flyball would bounce off the left field wall and the Washington Nationals left-hander would be in position to back up home plate. Instead, the worst-case scenario came to pass. Daylen Lile did all he could to track it, but the ball landed well beyond the left field fence, leaving Gore to stand in the infield grass with his hands on his hips. Bogaerts's grand slam was the lowlight of a nightmarish first inning during an 8-1 loss to the San Diego Padres. It was the Nationals' sixth loss in seven games. 'I was just bad today,' Gore said. '... I just wasn't very good. They put the ball in play and they got a lot of hits and they were able to hit two homers, but I just wasn't very good.' When Gore exited after 2⅓ innings, his shortest start of the season, he had allowed a season-worst eight runs, boosting his ERA to 3.59. Washington (39-60) entered Sunday with an opportunity to claim a series win coming out of the all-star break against a National League contender. Instead, with their ace on the mound, the Nationals found themselves in a hole before their first trip to the plate. 'One pitch, it changed the whole first inning,' interim manager Miguel Cairo said. 'He just fell behind, and they had good at-bats.' Gore opened the game by walking Fernando Tatis Jr. on five pitches. Then he allowed Luis Arraez to single (on an 0-2 count) before walking Manny Machado. Then came Bogaerts's grand slam. But the inning wasn't over. With one out, Jose Iglesias doubled. By the time Jake Cronenworth hit an opposite-field double to drive in Iglesias, Gore again resorted to placing his hand on his hip. This wasn't the way Gore, who pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the All-Star Game on Tuesday night, envisioned the start of his second half. But it did continue a trend: He entered Sunday with a 6.98 ERA in 17 July appearances in his career, by far his worst ERA in any month. Less than a month ago, Gore faced off against San Diego's Nick Pivetta at Petco Park. In that one, Gore allowed one run in six innings as he struck out six. Pivetta outdueled him in the Padres' 1-0 win, going seven scoreless and striking out 10. On the surface, Gore's game plan Sunday didn't look much different. He relied primarily on his fastball. He threw his curveball more than in the first outing, but not too much more. This time, though, the Padres (54-45) didn't chase. Last month, they swung at 37 percent of Gore's pitches outside of the strike zone. On Sunday, they chased just 18 percent of those pitches. Catcher Riley Adams said Gore did miss some spots, but he also felt the Padres made an adjustment. 'They were definitely trying to be aggressive early,' Adams said. 'A lot of teams recently have been doing that to MacKenzie, trying to not let him get you to two strikes.' Gore's problems compounded after the first inning. He retired the first two batters of the second but committed a cardinal sin when he walked Machado. Bogaerts singled. So did Gavin Sheets, who drove in Machado to make it 6-0. In the third, Elias Díaz — the Padres' No. 9 hitter — launched a two-run homer at 107.6 mph that Gore didn't even bother to look at. Before Cairo could get to the mound, Gore already had extended his hand to give him the ball. The Nationals didn't seem to make any adjustments against Pivetta, who allowed one run in six innings, striking out five. They didn't swing and miss as much they did in the first outing, but they didn't elevate the ball. For the game, they left eight runners on base and went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position. Their only run came in the fifth inning, when Adams launched a solo homer. 'When you face Pivetta, a really good pitcher, and they score six on you, it's going to be tough,' Cairo said. Note: Jarlin Susana (ulnar collateral ligament strain) made a rehab start at high Class A Wilmington; it was his first outing since May 4. He pitched two innings as he allowed two hits, a run and two walks while striking out two. Susana, a 21-year-old considered the Nationals' second-best pitching prospect behind fellow right-hander Travis Sykora, started the season at Class AA Harrisburg.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Xander Bogaerts hits 1st-inning grand slam in Padres' 8-1 win over Nationals
WASHINGTON — Xander Bogaerts hit a grand slam in the first inning, Elias Díaz also homered and the San Diego Padres routed the Washington Nationals 8-1 on Sunday. Bogaerts hit the first pitch he saw from MacKenzie Gore (4-9) into the seats in left for his sixth homer of the season and eighth career grand slam. Jake Cronenworth had an RBI double to make it 5-0 before the Nationals batted.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Nationals' MacKenzie Gore gets another shot vs. Padres, his former team
July 20 - All-Star left-hander MacKenzie Gore faces his former team for the second time in less than four weeks when the Washington Nationals host the San Diego Padres on Sunday afternoon. The Nationals acquired Gore as part of the impressive haul from the Padres in the Juan Soto trade at the deadline in 2022. He is 1-2 with a 4.35 ERA in 20 2/3 innings over four career starts against San Diego. Gore (4-8, 3.02 ERA this season) will again be pitted against Padres right-hander Nick Pivetta (9-2, 2.88), who was the winning pitcher in San Diego's 1-0 home victory on June 25. Gore allowed just one run and five hits over six innings while taking the loss. Now he'll take aim at helping the Nationals win the three-game set. The Padres won 7-2 on Friday and Washington bounced back with a 4-2 victory on Saturday. Gore, 26, was the third overall pick by San Diego in the 2017 MLB Draft, and he was often ranked as the franchise's top prospect over the next five years. He reached the majors in April 2022 and made 16 appearances (13 starts) for the Padres before being sent to Washington along with shortstop CJ Abrams and outfielder James Wood among others for Soto and veteran hitter Josh Bell. Gore, Abrams (2024) and Wood (2025) have all played in the All-Star Game for the Nationals. Gore retired all three batters he faced in Tuesday's All-Star Game. He beat the St. Louis Cardinals in his last start before the break by allowing one run and five hits over six innings. Manny Machado (2-for-7) and Xander Bogaerts (2-for-5) have each homered off Gore, while Jackson Merrill (0-for-6) and Fernando Tatis Jr. (1-for-7) have struggled. Both teams had just six hits during the Nationals' win on Saturday. Nathaniel Lowe smacked his 15th homer of the season for Washington, which also received three innings of one-hit shutout ball from its bullpen. The best sight for the Nationals was seeing right-hander Kyle Finnegan fanning two batters during a perfect ninth inning for his 19th save of the season, but first since June 6. Finnegan had allowed eight runs, seven hits and three walks while recording a total of two outs over his previous two appearances. That includes being roughed up for five runs in the ninth inning on Friday while taking the loss. "Any pitcher will tell you: After a bad one, you don't want to stew on it for too long. You want to get back out there and put it behind you," Finnegan told reporters after Saturday's game. "So I was excited for the opportunity to do that. Happy that they had the faith in me to go back out there and get the last three outs." San Diego's Luis Arraez and Jose Iglesias each had two hits on Saturday while Machado, Gavin Sheets, Bogaerts and Merrill all posted 0-for-4s. "We were on the brink a lot," Padres manager Mike Shildt said afterward. "We just couldn't get the big hit." Pivetta, 32, would match his career high for victories if he gets the win on Sunday. He won 10 games for the Boston Red Sox in both 2022 and 2023. He also had been on a roll, beginning with the win over the Nationals. He gave up three hits and struck out 10 in seven innings in that affair. Over his past four starts, he's 2-0 with a 0.36 ERA with 31 strikeouts. The stellar outing against Washington was definitely different from what typically has transpired for Pivetta. Even after that performance, he is 2-7 with an 8.10 ERA in 14 career appearances (11 starts) against the Nationals. Lowe is 2-for-9 against Pivetta. --Field Level Media
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nationals square off against the Padres with series tied 1-1
San Diego Padres (53-45, second in the NL West) vs. Washington Nationals (39-59, fifth in the NL East) Washington; Sunday, 1:35 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Padres: Nick Pivetta (9-2, 2.88 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 122 strikeouts); Nationals: MacKenzie Gore (4-8, 3.02 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 138 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Padres -117, Nationals -103; over/under is 8 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres play on Sunday with the three-game series tied 1-1. Washington has a 19-29 record at home and a 39-59 record overall. The Nationals have a 22-13 record in games when they did not give up a home run. San Diego has gone 22-27 in road games and 53-45 overall. The Padres have gone 35-17 in games when they record at least eight hits. Sunday's game is the sixth time these teams meet this season. The Padres are ahead 3-2 in the season series. TOP PERFORMERS: James Wood leads the Nationals with 24 home runs while slugging .523. Brady House is 12 for 39 with two home runs and five RBIs over the last 10 games. Manny Machado leads the Padres with 18 home runs while slugging .489. Xander Bogaerts is 13 for 33 with two doubles and an RBI over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Nationals: 2-8, .234 batting average, 5.50 ERA, outscored by 28 runs Padres: 6-4, .249 batting average, 3.13 ERA, outscored opponents by one run INJURIES: Nationals: Trevor Williams: 60-Day IL (elbow), Keibert Ruiz: 7-Day IL (concussion), Derek Law: 60-Day IL (forearm), Dylan Crews: 10-Day IL (back), Orlando Ribalta: 15-Day IL (biceps), DJ Herz: 60-Day IL (elbow), Josiah Gray: 60-Day IL (elbow) Padres: Michael King: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jhony Brito: 60-Day IL (forearm), Joe Musgrove: 60-Day IL (elbow) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Fox Sports
2 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Nationals square off against the Padres with series tied 1-1
Associated Press San Diego Padres (53-45, second in the NL West) vs. Washington Nationals (39-59, fifth in the NL East) Washington; Sunday, 1:35 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Padres: Nick Pivetta (9-2, 2.88 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 122 strikeouts); Nationals: MacKenzie Gore (4-8, 3.02 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 138 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Padres -117, Nationals -103; over/under is 8 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres play on Sunday with the three-game series tied 1-1. Washington has a 19-29 record at home and a 39-59 record overall. The Nationals have a 22-13 record in games when they did not give up a home run. San Diego has gone 22-27 in road games and 53-45 overall. The Padres have gone 35-17 in games when they record at least eight hits. Sunday's game is the sixth time these teams meet this season. The Padres are ahead 3-2 in the season series. TOP PERFORMERS: James Wood leads the Nationals with 24 home runs while slugging .523. Brady House is 12 for 39 with two home runs and five RBIs over the last 10 games. Manny Machado leads the Padres with 18 home runs while slugging .489. Xander Bogaerts is 13 for 33 with two doubles and an RBI over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Nationals: 2-8, .234 batting average, 5.50 ERA, outscored by 28 runs Padres: 6-4, .249 batting average, 3.13 ERA, outscored opponents by one run INJURIES: Nationals: Trevor Williams: 60-Day IL (elbow), Keibert Ruiz: 7-Day IL (concussion), Derek Law: 60-Day IL (forearm), Dylan Crews: 10-Day IL (back), Orlando Ribalta: 15-Day IL (biceps), DJ Herz: 60-Day IL (elbow), Josiah Gray: 60-Day IL (elbow) Padres: Michael King: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jhony Brito: 60-Day IL (forearm), Joe Musgrove: 60-Day IL (elbow) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. recommended Item 1 of 1
