All three Nationals starters delivered positive performances in their first starts of 2025
While the bad bullpen has taken up a lot of the headlines, the Washington Nationals starting pitching was excellent on Opening Weekend. The trio of MacKenzie Gore, Jake Irvin, and Mitchell Parker only allowed two runs in their combined 17.1 innings of work.
Gore and Parker were fabulous, while Irvin gutted his way through five solid innings. All three of these guys are in their mid 20’s and should be rotation fixtures for years to come. The trio showed a lot in 2024, but were plagued by inconsistency. They each had great months, but also had months where they struggled. Now with more experience they can hopefully become more consistent.
Gore was the most impressive of the three, with an utterly dominant display. We broke down some of the changes and improvements Gore made in that start. Overall, Gore looked totally in command and his new slider ate up the Phillies left handed bats. He struck out 13, walked nobody and did not allow a run. It looked like an outing you would see from Max Scherzer back in the day.
While Parker was not as dominant as Gore, he also had a scoreless outing. He went 6.1 innings with five strikeouts. There was a decent amount of traffic on the bases with Parker allowing seven hits and walking two, but his composure got him out of those jams. Importantly, all seven of the hits Parker allowed were singles. Parker doesn’t have the dominant stuff of a Gore, but he knows how to pitch and use his arsenal effectively. He will never be an ace, but he should be a reliable fixture in the Nats rotation.
Jake Irvin was the only Nats starter to allow a run. It came on a two-run homer to Bryson Stott. However, he also did a good job of working in and out of trouble. Like Parker he gave up seven hits and walked two. His velocity was strong early in the game before it dipped in his last couple innings. That is understandable in his first start of the season. I am not as convinced with Irvin as I am with Gore or Parker, but he should be solid. Irvin had a phenomenal first half last year where he arguably should have been an All-Star. However, he faded down the stretch. I would love to see Irvin get back to that first half form because he was so fun to watch.
Overall, this was a highly successful first run through the rotation for the Nats young starters. Gore looked like an ace, while Parker and Irvin looked dependable as ever. Now it is time for the Nationals veterans to take the mound. Michael Soroka and Trevor Williams will take the mound for their first starts in Toronto. Believe it or not, Soroka is actually younger than Jake Irvin, but he made his debut all the way back in 2018.
Last year was a successful campaign for the Nationals rotation with a number of young arms breaking out. This year it is time for those youngsters to prove that they are here to stay. So far the early returns are looking good.