Washington Nationals news & notes: DJ Herz earns W in 6-4 win over Brewers; Luis García, Jr.: A year later…

Notes and quotes from the Nationals’ 6-4 win over the Brewers on Saturday afternoon in the nation’s capital.

HERZDAY W:

In his second start after an extended rest, and brief trip to the minors, DJ Herz put together a strong, five-inning, 79-pitch outing, walking one batter, striking out eight, and giving up a total of three hits (one a homer), and two runs.

Herz finished up on a roll, retiring 10 of the last 11 hitters he faced, seven via strikeout, and he mixed things up in the outing, with 18 swinging strikes overall, 15 on his fastball, 8 of 13 called strikes on his heater, which he leaned on for 62% of his pitches, up from an average of 54.2% this season.

“He didn’t rely on his offspeed stuff,” Nationals’ manager Davey Martinez said after Herz’s outing.

“He got ahead and stayed with the fastball. It was good. Our reports were to try to get the ball up on some of these guys, and he did a great job — especially those lefties — he did a great job. … He was very, very effective [late in the outing].”

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Herz said he decided early to lean on his heater because he had a good feel for it.

“I told [catcher Riley Adams] in the second: ‘The fastball’s got some git today,’” Herz said, as quoted by MASN’s Mark Zuckerman.

“I can feel it out of the hand. I can see it. It’s got some extra life. I told him and we just kind of rolled with it.”

It was a second straight strong, five-inning outing coming off the extra rest.

“I‘m getting ahead, I’m attacking, I’m being efficient,” Herz said. “That’s all the things I want to see from myself.”

Martinez said that they are limiting Herz at this point since he did have the extended break.

“He only threw four innings when we sent him down. So I want to limit him to about five innings, 80 pitches. But we’ll get him built up again.

“If he’s pitching well, we’ll try to stretch him out a little bit.”

Herz got up to 77 pitches (49 strikes) in five innings on Saturday, giving up two outs, a walk, and one unearned run.

He struck out six Brewers’ batters in the third consecutive five-frame start, with 10 whiffs (8 on his fastball) and 12 called strikes (another 8 on his fastball), throwing 68% heaters in this outing.

Herz worked around his one walk in the first, then took the mound in the second with a 3-0 lead, courtesy of a two-out rally which saw Luis García double (for the first of three hits on the day), then score on an RBI single by Keibert Ruiz, who moved up on a walk and scored when Travis Blankenhorn (DHing on Saturday) doubled to center off Brewers’ righty Aaron Civale. Alex Call singled as well, driving in Blankenhorn.

Herz retired the Brewers in order on the top of the second, and worked around a hit batter in the third, and it was 5-0 when he took the mound in the third (after a HR by García, Jr.), and the southpaw stranded a leadoff double in the fourth before an ROE and two-out wild pitch and single drove in the visitor’s first run in the fifth, 5-1, in what ended up a 5-4 win.

“[The four-run first inning] kind of lit me up and got me going,” Herz said after earning a W in the win, as quoted on MLB.com. “We took it off from there.”

Asked about leaning even more on his fastball, Herz said, as quoted by MASN’s Mark Zuckerman.

“I feel like it’s always been my best pitch, and it’s been the pitch that I attack with.

“When the fastball’s on, it’s going to be a good day. And it’s been good as of late.”

Martinez did once again lift the lefty early, which he explained is all part of the plan to limit his young starters’ innings.

“He’s one of those younger kids that we’ve got to watch his innings. And it was hot today.

“But there will have to be a time where we feel like if he can give us another couple outs in the sixth, we’ll keep him out there.”

GARCÍA, JR. CELEBRATES ANNIVERSARY:

If Luis García, Jr. didn’t get the message some things needed to change when he was sent to Triple-A for a month last season, manager Davey Martinez reiterated it over the winter.

“My message to him was is no guarantees in Spring Training,” Martinez said last December of García, Jr. and any claim to the second base job in the nation’s capital.

“You got to come and fight for a job. I think I sent the message to him when we sent him down. And it hurt me because I love the kid. But he’s got to get better. He’s going on his fourth year now with us, and I know what the upside is with Luis, but we got to get it out of him. He’s got to be consistent.”

A year after they sent him down to Triple-A Rochester, García, Jr. entered Saturday’s game with a .282/.316/.436 line, 18 doubles, 11 home runs, 17 walks, and 59 Ks in 94 games and a total of 361 plate appearances on the year, coming off a 3 for 4 game in the series opener with the Brewers in Nationals Park on Friday night.

“He’s trying not to chase, that’s the biggest key,” Martinez said in his pregame presser on Saturday afternoon. “But he’s putting himself in good situations where he’s getting good pitches to hit, so he’s done better, plus too, he’s really understanding a little bit how to hit with guys on base (.343/.378/.539 in 151 PAs with men on; .361/.404/.608 with RISP before Saturday’s game) and he’s really trying to work hard on just being more selective, getting the ball in the zone. So he’s been a lot better. He really has. So, I’m proud of him, because he’s been working really hard with [Hitting Coach] Darnell [Coles] on where he wants the ball in certain situations, especially with guys on base, not to chase anything, so he’s been better.”

García, Jr. doubled with two out and no one on in his first at-bat on Saturday afternoon, and scored the club’s first run. He homered to start the third (12), and singled to start the fifth, to leave him a triple shy of a cycle, stole his second base (17), before he was stranded, and the 24-year-old infielder lined out to center in the seventh, to go 3 for 4 with three runs scored in the 6-4 win.

A year later, García, Jr. (now hitting .287 on the year; .772 OPS) said after the game the Nats’ decision to send him down last season put him on the right track.

“It’s something that probably had to be done,” he said, as quoted on MASN.

“It’s a lesson that had to be taught to me. And I think now that I’m up here, I’ve learned a lot from it. Now, just keep going forward.”

“It’s definitely paying off for him. I see a different kid. More confident. Understands what he needs to do. … He’s playing really well.”