Washington Nationals news & notes: DJ Herz and Luis García, Jr. lead Nats to 4-1 win over Marlins…

Notes and quotes from last night’s win over the Marlins in Nationals Park…

PLAY GARCIA VS LHPs:

While Davey Martinez has given Luis García, Jr. days off against tough left-handers along the way this season, he talked late last month about giving the 24-year-old opportunities during games when lefties come in, even if he doesn’t always start the second baseman when they are facing southpaws.

“Look, when he’s in the game when the (left-handed) pitcher comes, I won’t pinch-hit for him. I let him hit,” Martinez said, but with García in the midst of a breakout-ish season for the club, he also wants to put him in the best position to succeed whenever it’s possible.

The idea, he said, “… is not to get him frustrated because he’s doing so well against right-handed pitchers,” with a .288/.327/.468 line against righties before Friday’s game, and all García, Jr.’s 15 of his home runs on the season off righties, (versus his .255/.290/.330 line against lefties on the year, with 382 plate appearances against righties and 100 PAs with left-handed pitchers on the mound).

García, Jr. started against Miami Marlins’ right-hander Edward Cabrera in Nationals Park on Friday night, bringing in two runs when he hustled down the line on a 2-on, 2-out grounder which the Fish misplayed, allowing two runs to score for an early 2-0 lead for Washington.

He was 0 for 1 with the ROE when he stepped in against lefty reliever Anthony Veneziano in the home half of the seventh, with the lead down to 2-1, and García, Jr. went up for a letter-high sweeper inside he turned around and hit out to right field, 415 ft. for his first home run off a left-hander this season.

It was just the 4th of 40 career home runs in the majors off a lefty for García, Jr.

“That was big, it was a big home run,” Martinez said of the solo shot in the Nationals’ 4-1 win.

“He stayed on that ball really well. He gave us another point, and then we scored another run. That was a big moment for us.”

Getting one off a left-hander has his manager excited too.

“Look, Luis can hit. And he should tell himself, ‘I can hit anybody,’” Martinez said.

“He’s got to keep his legs underneath him, and not try to do too much. When he does that, he can hit. He really can.

“We talked about him — I’m really proud of him, because I was hard on him, as we all know, and so far he’s put up some pretty good numbers.”

García, Jr. finished the night with a .282/.320/.445 line overall, with 25 doubles and career-high 16 home runs.

HERZDAY:

DJ Herz snapped a personal, five-start winless streak, over which the 23-year-old lefty was 0-3 with a 3.75 ERA, a 3.05 FIP, and solid .205/.311/.273 line against in 24 innings, with five scoreless and hitless in PNC Park during the last road trip.

Herz chalked his success up to the way he was able to pound the zone and challenge the opposing hitters.

“Everything plays in the zone,” he said. “So just staying in the zone is the big key.

“When we’re in the zone, good things are happening.”

Herz said he was happy with his fastball and changeup and how they worked off each other in the outing, with his only criticism of his own appearance the three walks he issued, all of which came with two outs.

“It was good, just got to cut out the two-out walks and that’s about it.”

Herz walked just one of the 20 batters he faced in five innings on the mound against the Marlins on Friday night, striking out five and giving up four hits, one a home run, and one run total in what ended up a 4-1 win in which he earned his 4th win of the year (W, 4-7).

He got nine swinging strikes on the night (3 each on his fastball, changeup, and slider), and picked up 15 called strikes in the start (10 of them on his four-seamer).

“I’m attacking guys. I’m confident with my stuff in the zone. I can feel the confidence, and getting more comfortable. I feel good,” Herz said, as quoted by MASN’s Mark Zuckerman, while also noting he didn’t think he had his best stuff on Friday.

“His changeup was really good,” Martinez told reporters. “His fastball was really good, you know, it really was. Something he gets a little ahead of himself, but he’s able to get back in the zone. But his stuff plays, it really does.

“His fastball, it’s a swing and miss pitch, you know, when he’s around the plate, it’s really effective.”

ALSO THIS:

“It was a good play,” manager Davey Martinez said after the game. “That was a heck of a play to find the wall and get up there and get that high and catch the ball, it was a great play.”