Washington Nationals news & notes: Joey Gallo homers to spark Nats in 5-3 win over Pirates…

Joey Gallo homered. Trevor Williams got the first W by a Nats’ starter this season + more…

NO O FOR FOR GALLO ANYMORE:

Joey Gallo started off 0 for 12 at the plate this season, but the slugger broke out in a big way Wednesday night in the nation’s capital, hitting his first home run of the year for his first hit, a 447-foot blast to right-center field which sparked a four-run rally in the home-half of the second.

Luis García, Jr. doubled to drive in a run, and CJ Abrams drove in two more after Nationals’ starter Trevor Williams gave up two in the top of the frame, and the home team held on to beat the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates 5-3 in the second of three in D.C.

“Thank god,” Gallo joked, as quoted by MASN’s Mark Zuckerman, after the game, in which he doubled as well and added a single for a three-hit night.

“I did something good. I feel like I helped the team out a little bit.”

“He stayed on the ball well today,” Davey Martinez said after his club evened things up with the Bucs.

“He wasn’t really trying to do too much. He was just trying to stay on top of the baseball and drive the ball in the middle of the field.

“He had a really good day.”

How was Gallo in the dugout after hitting his first home run?

“Same as he always is,” Martinez said, gesturing in an understated high five, “… and that’s it.”

His teammates were excited to see Gallo get on the board in 2024 though.

“I’m glad today that he had a breakout day and hopefully we keep him that way for a while because we need him,” the skipper said. “And I know he’s such a good guy and he works hard and he’s a great teammate. So it was a good day for him and it pumped everybody up. That home run really jacked everybody up today.”

W FOR WILLIAMS:

Trevor Williams put up a 7.20 ERA in four outings and 15 innings this spring, over which he gave up 24 hits (three of them home runs), and 12 earned runs, and had an opponents’ batting average of .348.

His numbers weren’t pretty, but coming out of his final Grapefruit League start, the veteran said he felt like he accomplished what he wanted to in Spring Training, as he battled for the fifth spot in the Nationals’ starting rotation.

“I feel like you’re always competing for a spot, even if you’ve been here for 10 years,” he said, as quoted by MASN writer Mark Zuckerman, following his last spring start on March 21st.

“I think there’s always competition for your spot. There are certain things I went into this offseason wanting to work on and get better. I think we were able to do that.”

Williams made 30 starts total in 2023, posting a 5.55 ERA, a 5.99 FIP, 53 walks (3.30 BB/9), and 111 Ks (6.92 K/9) in 144 1⁄3 innings, over which he gave up the 34 home runs (2.12 HR/9), and put up a .300/.359/.533 line against in the first year of his 2-year/$13M deal in D.C.

Manager Davey Martinez decided before the season opener to include Williams in the Nats’ rotation once again after the 31-year-old and veteran Zach Davies battled for the final spot.

“It was a tough choice, a tough decision,” Martinez said, as quoted by MLB.com’s Jessica Camerato, after Williams got the spot and Davies decided to seek other opportunities.

“Trevor’s done well,” he explained. “I think he deserves a chance, at least at the beginning, to start. And then we’ll see where it goes from there.”

Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images

With the off-days in the early schedule, Williams hadn’t pitched since March 21st before taking the mound last night against the Pirates, but he put in work in the bullpen to keep himself sharp as possible going into his regular season debut.

“He’s been throwing, he threw a pretty heavy bullpen, so he’ll be ready to go,” Martinez said.

Williams’ first start was a 5 ¹⁄₃-inning one in which he walked two, struck out five, and gave up three hits and two earned runs, throwing 91 pitches, 53 for strikes, with 10 swinging and 15 called strikes on the night.

“Trevor pitched really well. He gave us five-plus innings, which is what we needed today,” Martinez said after the 5-3 win.

“That’s what we ask of him. For him, he knows 80-85-90 pitches for me is perfect for him,” the manager added at another point. “And if he can do that in five innings, that’s what we need from him. Keep us in ballgames. And he did that today.

“He used his changeup really well. He understood how to throw his fastball. He kept the ball down for the most part, which is great, so if he can continue to do that he’s going to help us win games.”

ABRAMS’ POWER:

CJ Abrams hit a 1-2 curve low and in out to right field for a 429-foot bomb of a home run in Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park this past Sunday, connecting for his first of the year.

It came off of the bat at 107+ MPH too (and was the longest home run of his career so far).

“When he gets the ball in the zone, he typically puts a good swing on it,” Nationals’ skipper Davey Martinez said after a loss in the series finale with the Reds.

“He worked a good at-bat right there,” the manager added, “… and got a ball in the zone and hammered it, so it was good to see.”

Martinez has been happy with everything he’s seen from the shortstop early in their third season together in the nation’s capital.

How has Abrams changed since he came up shortly after he came over to the Nationals in the Juan Soto/Josh Bell deal with the San Diego Padres in 2022?

“Growth, right? Growth. Maturity,” Martinez said. “I mean, he has a plan every time he steps on that field, and I love it.

“Today, I watched him in the cages, working. I watched him take flips, grounders, in the cage with [coach] Ricky [Guttierez] . He’s got a routine. He’s grown so much. The other day he laid down a bunt, and I didn’t give it to him. I just told him, like I always do, I told him, ‘Play the game.’ He laid down a bunt to get the guys over, and we scored, Lane [Thomas] came up with a base hit. Lane told him that fired him up. Which was awesome.

“He’s learning how to play the game. These guys are starting to get it. They’re starting to understand what they need to do to succeed.”