Notes and quotes from the Nationals’ series opener with the Phillies in D.C.
CORBIN 2024 HOME DEBUT:
Patrick Corbin kept the Reds off the board through three innings in his 2024 debut on the road in Cincinnati, but he left a 1-1 fastball up in the fourth which got hit out, and gave up a three-run blast on a 2-0 sinker outside that went out to right-center in the fourth, with the two home runs accounting for the runs he allowed in 4 1⁄3 innings of work in what ended up a 7-6 win for Washington.
“He attacked the zone, he kept the ball down for the most part,” Davey Martinez said leading into Corbin’s second start of the season, “… used his changeup effectively, so for him he’s going to have to mix speeds tonight and keep the ball down. When he does that, he could be effective.”
Corbin threw 36% sliders in Great American Ball Park, used his cutter, which he added to the mix this winter, 28% of the time, same as his sinker (28%), used his four-seamer (6%), and his changeup (3%), though he did note the mix was particular to the lineup he was facing.
Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images
“I feel comfortable with it already,” the lefty said of his cutter usage.
“Threw it all spring, so definitely going forward just kind of see how we’re going to use it. Every team is a little different. Kind of that was just the game plan today, so get ready for the next one.”
Going into “the next one”, his manager, Davey Martinez, talked about what the 34-year-old lefty needed to do to be successful.
“He attacked the zone, he kept the ball down for the most part,” Martinez said, “… used his changeup effectively, so for him he’s going to have to mix speeds tonight and keep the ball down. When he does that, he could be effective.”
What does Martinez think of the cutter?
“The cutter is fine, like I said, I don’t want to give everything away, but yeah, the cutter was good. Look, when he can get the ball down, use both sides of the plate, he’ll keep us in the game.”
Corbin kept the Philadelphia Phillies off the board in the first inning on Friday night in his first home start of the season, but a single, back-to-back walks, and a sac fly in the top of the second led to the visitor’s first run, and a two-out, two-run single made it a 3-0 game early.
Trademark Schwarsingle to extend the early lead pic.twitter.com/S4kHxwIguk
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 5, 2024
The southpaw held the Phillies there through six, but nine pitches later he was done for the night, having given up a leadoff walk, a double, and RBI single which made it a 4-0 lead for the Nationals’ NL East rivals in the seventh.
The decision to send him back out (at 84 pitches), was made in part do to the workload for the bullpen early this year.
“Our bullpen’s been out there quite a bit,” Martinez said after the 4-0 loss. “We’re just trying to see if we can get — you know, he only had 84 pitches. Tried to stretch him out a little bit, and it didn’t work.”
Corbin told reporters after the outing he was frustrated with the two-out, two-run hit in the second in particular.
“A little frustrating there to give up those runs,” Corbin said, as quoted by MASN’s Mark Zuckerman.
“I was trying to get Schwarber out there; he hit the ground ball through the hole on the right side. That could’ve saved us a couple runs.”
Of course, the Nationals’ offense didn’t score any runs, putting up just two hits and four walks against Philly starter Aaron Nola, and just one walk against the Phillies’ bullpen in three innings.
Another early deficit was frustrating too, as Martinez’s club had to play from behind once more.
“We’ve got to try to limit those big innings early. Because it definitely wears on you. You’re always trying to come back, you’ve got to try to do different things. Guys start pressing a little bit. So, for us, offensively, we got to come out and score first.
“We really got to score first. We’ve got to score early and put pressure on the other team.
“But pitching-wise, we just got to hold them and stay away from big innings.”
ABRAMS’ GROWTH:
CJ Abrams’ first home run of the year was a 429-foot bomb in Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park, which got his skipper excited.
“When he gets the ball in the zone, he typically puts a good swing on it,” Davey Martinez told reporters during the series with the Reds. “He worked a good at-bat right there, and got a ball in the zone and hammered it, so it was good to see.”
His second of the season was a 415-foot shot in Nationals Park on Thursday night.
As the Nationals noted after the third of three with the Pittsburgh Pirates in D.C., with that homer, Abrams drove in a run for the fourth straight game, the home run gave him hits in five straight games, and he singled as well, to give him multi-hit games in three games in a row.
Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images
Martinez said after the finale with the Pirates he was seeing continued growth from the 23-year-old shortstop, who’s quickly establishing himself as a big piece of the Nationals’ future plans.
“For me it’s all about — he’s starting to mature a lot,” Martinez said of Abrams’ improvement.
“And it’s not just at the plate.
“He’s engaged playing defense,” the manager added.
“I’m watching him out there. He’s engaged on the basepaths. He’s hitting. It’s early. I still encourage him to take his walks and make sure that he constantly swings at strikes. But he’s done really well. That home run he hit today, he said, ‘I was just trying to stay on top of the ball and stay in the middle of the field.’ I said, ‘Well, that’s what’s going to happen when you try that. You’re going to get out front and you’re going to get the ball in the air and you’re going to hit home runs. His next at-bat he drove a ball to left field. That’s beautiful. So he’s done well, he’s done well.
Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images
Abrams singled in the third last night to extend his hit streak to six straight games, in which he’s 9 for 24 with one triple, two home runs, five RBIs, three walks, and three stolen bases.
He did, however, get thrown out trying to take second on the hit.