Washington Nationals news & notes: Nats sweep Marlins; Mitchell Parker keeps rolling…

Notes and quotes from the Nationals’ series finale with the Marlins in D.C.

ROTATION FEEDING OFF EACH OTHER:

MacKenzie Gore struck out 10 of the 28 batters he faced in seven strong in the series opener with Miami on Friday night in the nation’s capital, then DJ Herz followed up on Gore’s start with six scoreless in which he struck out 13 of 18 batters, building on the impressive outing by his rotation-mate and fellow southpaw in a way his manager in Washington, D.C. liked to see.

“I really believe they’re starting to feed off each other,” Davey Martinez told reporters after the second straight win over the Marlins and the Nationals’ 7th win in eight games overall.

“They’re very close,” he said of the Nationals’ starters, “and they’re getting really close.”

“They’re watching each other, they’re pulling for each other, but I think collectively, each guy wants to go out and do what the other guy did, and it’s been fun to watch.”

How would 24-year-old rookie lefty Mitchell Parker follow up on the starts by Gore and Herz, which left the Fish with a .219/.270/.314 line against left-handers this year, 28th/30th/30th in the majors across the line thus far in 2024?

Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images

Parker stepped up with six strong innings in which he gave up six hits and one run, which scored when he misplayed a two-out grounder back to the mound with a runner on third, allowing the Marlins’ first (and only) run to score.

Parker struck out four Marlins without walking a batter, throwing 85 pitches, 65 for strikes, with eight swinging and 13 called strikes on the afternoon.

He didn’t buckle after the error this time, as he did the last time out, but got the final out of the fifth, then returned to the mound in the sixth and stranded one- and two-out singles for another solid outing by a Nationals’ starter.

“Everyone’s throwing well,” Parker said of the strong stretch of starts by the Nats’ rotation arms, who’ve posted a, “… 1.03 ERA (4 ER/35.0 IP) with a .198 opponents’ average, 37 [Ks], and seven walks,” in the last six starts.

“It’s contagious,” Parker said. “We keep winning ballgames. I mean, winning is fun. All of us going out there to win a ballgame? I mean, we’re having a great time.”

Parker, overall this year, had thrown his fastball 48% of the time going into the outing, with 27.1% curveballs, 17.1% splitters, and 7.3% sliders, but against the Marlins, he leaned on that splitter, throwing it 32% of the time, with 48% fastballs, 11% curves, and 9% sliders.

“I don’t think he felt like everything else was crispy,” Martinez explained, “so he leaned more on his splitter. And it worked really well for him. His split was good today. And he got the job done. He gave us six strong innings, so it was awesome.”

That he could go with the pitches which were working and still have success with them and sideline some that weren’t sharp was?

Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images

“It’s awesome,” Parker said, “… being able to bounce around pitches. You’re not going to have every pitch every day, but to be able to have 2-3 working pitches and know that we can lean on them pretty heavily, it’s awesome.”

His manager [indirectly] agreed.

“It was awesome,” he said after Parker lowered his to 3.06, with a 3.53 FIP in 12 starts and 67 ²⁄₃ IP.

“The first day he came up here we were in LA, and his splitter ball was not good, right? He went to his breaking ball,” Martinez continued. “We told him to do away with the splitter, because it’s not just working, and he was able to dominate with his fastball, curveball. Today, it was the opposite. Curveball, he didn’t feel good with his curveballs. He threw a couple good ones, but other than that, his splitter was really good, so he leaned on his splitter a little bit more, with his fastball.”

LANE TRAIN:

Lane Thomas got the scoring started for the home team on Sunday afternoon, hitting a 2-1 fastball from lefty Jesús Luzardo 393 ft. to left field for his 7th of the season and third in his last three games.

With the home run, the Nationals mentioned in their post game notes, Thomas, “…extended his hitting streak to 10 games, over which he’s hitting .351 (13-for-37) with a double, a triple, four homers, eight RBI[s], four walks, one stolen base, and 10 runs scored.”

“Right now, he’s just seeing the ball really well,” manager Davey Martinez said after Thomas went 1 for 4 with the home run in Sunday’s win. “He’s getting back on time and really trying to stay in the middle of the field and drive that ball. He hit one to center field today. He hit one right field yesterday. But he’s really staying behind the baseball really well. And when he does that, we’ve seen what he can do last year. He’s starting to heat up a little bit, which is awesome.”

Jacob Young hit his first home run in the majors in the fifth, breaking up a 1-1 tie with a 403 ft. shot off Luzardo on a 2-2 fastball up Young hit to back of the visitor’s bullpen.

“The boys went crazy, one,” Martinez laughed. “We were joking with him how he crushed it. But good for him. I could see him when he touched third base, he had a smile from ear to ear, so it was awesome. And a big moment too, he put us back in the lead. He’s getting his share of pummeling from the boys in there, so it’s good. He’s playing really well.

“His defense has been incredible. It really has. He’s helping us win games.”

Young has hit eight home runs in 256 games in the minors, so there is some power in his bat, but while it’s nice to see him get one, it’s not exactly his game.

“I don’t want to say that he’s a home run hitter. I just want him to get on base. But on occasion, you can see it come out of him. But he’s doing well.”

Ildemaro Vargas doubled down the line in right on a pitch he shouldn’t have been able to hit to drive in the third run…

HAROLD RAMÍREZ – COMING SOON TO THE NATS’ LINEUP:

Harold Ramírez, 29, put up a combined .300/.337/.411 line, 46 doubles, and 19 home runs in three seasons, 290 games, and 1,038 plate appearances for Tampa Bay between 2002-04, but, “Strong as that offensive output was,” as Steve Adams wrote on MLBTR after the Rays DFA’d Ramírez after trying to trade him this winter, this spring, and again over the last week-plus, the club released the veteran slugger after finding no takers for Ramírez and his salary.

“Ramirez lacks defensive value — he’s a poor defender in the outfield corners and at first base — and is a free-swinger who rarely draws a walk,” Adams wrote.

Ramírez walked 44 times in the last three seasons with the Rays, striking out in 184 PAs.

“He’s been primarily a designated hitter with the Rays,” Adams added.

Washington’s Nationals, in the market for some pop after Joey Gallo suffered a “significant” hamstring strain which landed him on the IL, signed Ramírez this weekend and sent him to Triple-A Rochester to get some at-bats in before they bring him to the majors.

“We signed him to help us here, not Triple-A,” Davey Martinez told reporters on Saturday of the news of the new addition to the organization.

“We want him here. But we’ve got to get him going. He hasn’t played in about seven, eight, nine days. So I want to give him some at-bats before he comes up.”

Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

When he does come up, Martinez said, the Nationals think he has something to offer, with a .310/.310/.379 line against lefties this year, as he’s struggled to hit for power overall, and for his career, a .322/.357/.445 lie against left-handed pitching (.272/.311/.392 vs RHP).

“We were looking for a right-handed hitter,” the manager explained. “We signed him to a minor league deal. He got let go by Tampa, but I know he crushes lefties, and we like that about him. He’s going to go down there, and get some at-bats and try to get going, and then we’ll see what happens here in the next week or so, but he’s always hit. Last year, he had an OPS over .800. He’s not a guy that walks a lot, but his bat-to-ball skills are really good, and he hits the ball really well, especially against left-handed pitchers.

“He’s somebody I thought that could really help us here, so we’ll see if we can get him going. His power numbers were down this year, but I know last year he hit for power.

“He can play multiple positions as well. We kind of liked him. He’s going to play tonight, so hopefully we’ll get him going and as soon as we deem like he’s ready, we’ll bring him up.”

Martinez said he could DH, play left or first, and give the club needed power, especially with lefties on the mound. As for why the power numbers were down this year?

“I looked at some of his numbers,” Martinez said, “we did a rundown of way that it seemed like he was taking a little more pitches this year, trying to be a little more selective. He’s a free swinger. We’ve known that about him. When he was in Miami, he kind of goes up there and hits, scouting report was try to stay away from him, see if he chases. He put the bat on the ball, so we want to get him back to that. I’m not looking for him to walk, I want him to hit. So, hopefully we get him going. I really believe that he can help us though. And he’s a great guy, a great clubhouse guy, he’ll fit in perfectly here.”