The Nationals need a series win and are turning to their ace to get the job done
The series is on the line this afternoon, and the Nationals need their ace to be a stopper. Today is a big step in MacKenzie Gore’s progression towards becoming a true ace. Whenever a series was on the line and Max Scherzer had the ball, you knew that the Washington Nationals would win the series.
Now it is time for MacKenzie Gore to get near that level. Of course, Max Scherzer is a future Hall of Famer, so expecting Gore to be that is unfair. However, against a rag tag Marlins lineup, I am looking for Gore to give the Nationals a quality start.
Gore has been very good in his first three starts. After domination on Opening Day and an uneven start against the Jays, Gore bounced back with a quality start against the Dodgers. Outside of one absolute meatball to Shohei Ohtani, Gore was fabulous. He needs another one of those types of performances today against the Fish.
So far this season, Gore’s control has really been on point. He has only walked three batters in 17 innings so far. Gore also has 25 strikeouts in that time as well. That is a 37.3 K% to a 4.5 BB%. Those are pretty impressive numbers for the 26 year old southpaw.
Ever since Gore was taken with the third pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, he was expected to be a front of the rotation arm. It has been a long road to get there, but it looks like Gore has arrived. However, he can’t fall back into his inconsistent ways today.
Gore was dominant in three starts against the Marlins last year, with a 0.95 ERA and 24 strikeouts to just four walks in 19 innings. I remember his seven inning masterpiece against them last June. It was his last start before really falling off the rails for a couple months. In his September revival, he had a pair of quality starts against the Fish as well.
It is time for the Nationals ace to do that again. With Trevor Williams unable to go five innings, it would also be nice if Gore could save the bullpen today, especially with how jam packed the schedule is. That is the kind of stuff a true ace can do.
MacKenzie Gore has the talent to become an ace, and today is the kind of start where an ace locks in and delivers. It is time for MacKenzie Gore to take that next step.