Washington Nationals news & notes: Mitchell Parker does it again in 8-4 win over Braves; Nats DFA Victor Robles…

Notes and quotes from the Nationals’ series opening win in Atlanta…

MITCHELL. PARKER.

An off day last Thursday gave the Nationals an opportunity to switch things up a bit so that rookie starter, Mitchell Parker could get an extra day of rest, and take on the Atlanta Braves in the opener of Washington’s series in Truist Park.

“I just wanted to give Parker an extra day,” Martinez explained, as quoted by MASN’s Bobby Blanco before the first game with the Mariners last Friday.

“You know, he hasn’t done this (starting every five days in the majors). So I thought it’d be nice to give him an extra day.”

Parker has been a pleasant surprise (for those not in player development with the club, or following Nats’ prospects closely) since he made his MLB debut back on April 15th, in the wake of Josiah Gray’s injury, posting a 3.32 ERA, a 3.44 FIP, and a .252/.288/.371 line against over seven starts and 38 innings pitched. He threw a season-high 94 pitches in his previous outing, with Martinez leaving him out there a little longer to test the 24-year-old, 2020 5th Round pick.

Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images

So it seemed like an ideal opportunity for the manager to give Parker an extra day between outings.

“He’s been pitching. He’s been on every five days, going deep in the game. So to give him extra days would definitely help him,” Martinez said. Or will it?

“It’s nice he got that extra day, and we’re going to see how that extra day — if it helped him or not,” Martinez said before Sunday’s game. “Sometimes because you’re so used to doing something an extra day sometimes it’s not — but we felt like because he’s used to doing it the way for many years, six days, and the way we’re trying to use him and the way we’ve been using him, which has been a lot, he’s been pitching a lot, so just to give him an extra day to kind of gather himself, get a breather and get ready to go.”

“He’s pitched every five days for us,” Martinez said before Monday afternoon’s game.

“And it’s something that he hasn’t really done in the minor leagues, so we thought this would be a perfect time to give him a little blow, and hopefully it works out.”

It worked out. Parker had a 4-0 lead to work with before he took the mound, he stranded a leadoff single in the first, then retired 14-straight, before he gave up a two-out single in the fifth he stranded. By the time he was done with a 1-2-3 sixth, he was up to 17 of 18 retired, with a streak of five-straight strikeouts between the third and fourth.

Martinez sent the starter out for the seventh, and Parker gave up a leadoff single, a double, an RBI groundout, and then a two-run home run by Adam Duvall, on a slider up in the zone the Braves’ outfielder hit 410 ft. to left field.

It was an 8-3 game at that point, and Parker was done for the night after 100 pitches, 74 of them strikes. He finished the night with 17 swinging strikes (eight on his slider, six on his 4-seamer, and three on his splitter), and 14 called strikes (eight on his heater).

“He pitched really well,” Martinez said after what ended up an 8-4 win. “I mean, it was hot out there. Tried to stretch him out a little bit, to get through that sixth inning. But like I said, he kept us in the game. That offense is not easy. They swing the bat. So he did well today.”

What stood out for the manager from Parker’s outing? What was the key?

“Strikes. Strikes. Attacking the strike zone really well,” he explained. “Really using his fastball well. Breaking pitches [were] really good.

“When he’s throwing strikes, he’s got a lot of movement on all his pitches and he works really quick.

“So the guys love playing behind him because he does work really quick and he’s very efficient.”

“I like how he keeps the pace moving,” CJ Abrams said after going 2 for 5 with his second home run in two games (and 9th on the season).

“He goes out there and battles every day, and we love it. We’re playing defense behind him and we’re going to keep going.”

Parker said the key to his efficient outing was, “a lot of early contact. A lot of ground balls.”

“The fielders were making a lot of plays. A lot of fly balls. I was just keeping the count short, pitch count down. That’s all that matters.”

Martinez tried to get a little more out of Parker in the seventh, but it was apparent he was spent at that point.

“When he’s pitching the way he’s pitching, we’re going to try to let him go and get through that inning,” Martinez said, “and try to save some arms.

“But he got a little bit tired … it was a little hot, but the bullpen came in and shut it down.”

VICTOR ROBLES DFA’D:

In order to make room on the Nationals’ roster for Lane Thomas’s return, the Nationals made the decision to designate Victor Robles before assignment before the start of play Monday.

Robles, 27, signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2013, debuted in the majors in 2017, did his part in the 2019 World Series run, but struggled in the seasons which followed, with a lot of injury issues in the last couple years keeping him off the field.

“Those are always the toughest days, you know, when you have to lose a player, especially a guy like Vic, who I’ve known for many, many years, who helped us win the World Series,” the Nats’ skipper, Davey Martinez said when he spoke with reporters before the series opener in Atlanta.

“It was tough. It was really tough,” he said of breaking the news to Robles. “All I could tell him is I wish him the best and to keep going. He needs to go find himself and he’ll help another team somewhere, and like I said, I just wish him the best. But I have a lot of feelings and emotions for Vic. We’ve been through a lot together. And like I said, we don’t win a World Series without him roaming center field and doing the things that he did that year. It’s been a tough go for him with injuries. But like I said, I think he’s still a very good player, very valuable. He’ll help somebody. If nothing comes around, hopefully he decides to come back here.”

Why couldn’t the once-highly-regarded prospect put it all together?

“A lot of it, for me, had to do with injuries. It really did,” Martinez said. “I mean, and he’d come back and he’d change some things. And for me, he’s got to find what his identity is, he really does. Hopefully, he does that. He’s made a lot of changes in his hitting. So you know, hopefully, he finds that spot where he’s comfortable and, for me, he’s a guy that needs to get on base, steal some bases, play good defense. Be that guy that creates havoc. And I hope he finds it.”

There’s also a lot of young outfield talent in the organization, and the Nationals decided this was the best move.

Photo by Cooper Neill/MLB Photos via Getty Images

“We do have a lot of young outfielders that are coming. They’re still a little bit away,” Martinez said.

“But they are getting closer. So when you have that many good outfielders in your system, tough decisions have to be made.”

“The biggest thing is that we got Lane back from the IL,” Martinez added.

“So we had to make a decision, and we do have a lot of young outfielders that are coming.

“They’re still a little bit away, but they’re getting closer.

“When you have that many good outfielders in your system tough decisions have to be made.

“But the upside on that is Lane’s back, he’s healthy, he’s good to go and he’s playing right field today.”

Thomas went 2 for 5 with two doubles and a run scored in his return to the lineup.

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