Washington Nationals news & notes: Patrick Corbin & Nats beat Marlins; Nationals 8-0 vs Fish in 2024…

Notes and quotes from the Nationals’ series opening win over the Marlins…

CORBIN DOES IT AGAIN; NOT THAT “IT”:

Patrick Corbin earned Ws in just two of his first 25 starts this season, posting a 5.92 ERA, a 4.58 FIP, and a .311/.361/.505 line against in 135 ¹⁄₃ innings pitched in those outings.

Coming off his win against the New York’s Yankees last week, however, Corbin had wins in back-to-back starts, with a 1.65 ERA, a 3.12 FIP, and a .220/.292/.305 line against in his last three outings and 16 ¹⁄₃ IP.

Corbin held the Yankees to two hits and two walks in six scoreless in Nationals Park, striking out six in a 104-pitch, 64-strike appearance in which he piled up 13 swinging, and a total of 19 called strikes (10 of the called strikes on his sinker).

The 35-year-old, 12-year, left-handed veteran pointed to the work his defense and catcher Keibert Ruiz did to help him in the outing, and he said the key was keeping the Yankees in the yard.

“Against these guys you just try to keep it out of the middle of the plate,” he said.

“You want to attack them, but at times, I mean the pitch count got a little high early, but you try to work around things like that against an offense that hits a lot of homers.”

His manager said Corbin’s cutter and his slider were both sharp and effective in a solid outing.

“The velo was up a tick on it, but the way he was throwing it. Throwing inside, threw some back door, and he really utilized it really well,” Davey Martinez told reporters.

Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images

“And his slider, he used his slider when he needed to really, really well.”

“His stuff was really good. This is the [Corbin] that we’ve seen in ‘19,” Martinez added, with a nod to Corbin’s best year, the same season the Nationals won the World Series in the first of the six seasons on his $140M deal with the club.

“This year there’s been a lot that I’ve seen that looks like his old self, but he’s done well. If you look at his last 10 starts, he’s done really well.”

[ed. note – “If you take out the three-inning, 10-ER start in Arizona in that stretch, Corbin had a 3.83 ERA in his previous 10 starts heading into last night’s start in Miami, so Martinez does have a point, though Corbin’s actual ERA in the previous 10 was 5.50 when you leave the D-backs game in there.”]

As the final season of Corbin’s six-year deal winds down, Martinez was asked before last night’s series opener with the Marlins, how he though of the southpaw’s tenure in D.C.

“For me, every time he goes out to pitch I know what I’m going to get from him, right?” the manager told reporters in loanDepot park. “I mean, good or bad, he’s going to take the ball and give us what he can every fifth day, so I don’t know what’s going to happen this winter, he knows how I feel about him. I’ve never given up on him as he knows. But he’s meant a lot to this team, I mean, we don’t win a World Series without him. I’m glad he’s here, he’s still got some starts with us, so we’re going to finish the season and see where we’re at.”

Trying to build on his recent run of success (and win an 8th game in 8 games vs Miami this season), Corbin and the Nationals went out and won another one. He held Fish hitters to a total of two runs on seven hits and three walks, striking out 8 of 26 batters faced, throwing just 93 pitches, 58 for strikes in 5 ²⁄₃ innings of work in a 6-2 win.

Corbin picked up 15 swinging strikes (9 on his slider) and 15 called strikes (10 on his four-seamer) on the way to earning another W.

“Patrick Corbin was really good again, so that was awesome to see,” Martinez said after the win.

Corbin’s thoughts on his success against the Marlins and in his recent starts?

“I think staying out of the middle of the plate,” Corbin said last night, as quoted by MASN’s Bobby Blanco, “… mixing in the cutter well, changing speeds with the slider. I’m working well with Keibert there. Offense has put up a lot of runs and defensively has been good too.

“So the team has been playing well behind me, and tonight we got that lead early, which was good.”

“I’ve been feeling really comfortable with it,” Corbin said of his cutter in this recent stretch.

“Mixing it to both lefties and righties. Changing speeds with the slider, like I said. But just staying out of the middle of the plate and being able to get those strikeouts when needed. So just try to continue to do what’s been working and go from there.”

“His slider has been a lot better — but keeping the ball down,” has been the key, Martinez said. “I attribute everything to him about keeping everything down.

“The minute he throws a ball up, he gets hit hard. So he did a great job of really trying to keep everything down today.”

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