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PHILADELPHIA — Yes, Josiah Gray’s outing was a lot more than two Friday night fastballs. He threw 99 pitches and held the Philadelphia Phillies to one run and six hits in six innings. On his second pass through the heart of their order, he charged ahead in counts with breaking balls, making Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner wince – bending their knees ever so slightly – before watching Strike One. And after Gray struggled in the sixth round as the first two men arrived, the right-hander triggered two soft pop-ups and knocked out Bryson Stott, maintaining his slim lead.
As Stott smashed a 3-2 fastball well over the zone, Gray turned away, crouched, and screamed. He had every reason to be excited. But at the 2-1 Washington Nationals In the win over the Phillies, two earlier fastballs — a four-seater against right-hander Alec Bohm, then a four-seater against left-hander Schwarber — marked a small step forward for Gray. Both cut off the low corner on his glove side. Both resulted in strikeouts looking. Both were worth analyzing, especially since Gray, 25, is one of those players whose growth is more important than current results.
“He’s been working on that. They spoke to him [pitching coach Jim] Hickey on where he wants to put his fastball with other hitters,” said manager Dave Martinez. “That was a perfect example. We wanted him to get the ball to those guys with the glove side and he did that really well.”
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“It’s huge that the repertoire is so finely tuned,” said Gray, who netted eight and netted the Nationals’ lone goal. “My mechanics feel good. …when you throw [low glove-side fastballs] As a pitcher, you love it because it kind of keeps a batsman stuck. It’s always good to throw a few of these today.
“I want to keep doing that, keep working in the bullpen between starts… because there are a lot of strikes down there. I can zone out a lot more of my pitches if I build up that pitch.”
Last season, as Gray endured six months of growing pains, he often relied on his secondary pitchers to hit hitters. His slider is his best weapon. It also has a solid curve and recently added a sweeping slider that complements it with its horizontal movement. Gray’s four-seam fastball, his worst throw of 2022, has improved since he expanded his arsenal and added a sinker. So, against the Phillies’ orders, he was able to start with his off-speed and turn up the heat late in the counts.
The 2-2 fastball for Bohm ran back across the plate at 96 mph, freezing third baseman to finish fourth baseman. The 3-2 four against Schwarber was deep and in one of the racket’s coldest zones. But on this pitch and at this point, the tolerance for error was extremely low. Outside of this season, Schwarber hits four-seam fastballs. He also throws shots that fall somewhere between the top and bottom corners. However, Gray hit it perfectly, leaving Schwarber shaking his head in the batter’s box.
Gray allowed the worst 38 homers in the majors last year, 24 of them with his four-seam fastball. In 17 starts in 2023, he has hit 12 home runs, including just one on his four-seater. That big difference helped him achieve a 3.30 ERA.
“To [Schwarber]”You have to be smart with your things,” Gray said. “His batting average may not be high, but we all know that’s kind of deceptive because he can kick you out of the stadium at any moment.” You have to be on the corners; You have to focus on your stuff and be even better.”
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Prior to the series opener, the Nationals put Patrick Corbin on the long list and promoted left-hander Jose A. Ferrer in his place. Martinez has also endured a handful of injury updates, including another setback for Sean Doolittle. The 36-year-old has a patella tendon strain in his right knee. He suffered the strain while pitching for the AAA class in Rochester, his last assignment trying to bounce back from elbow surgery he underwent last summer. He could soon travel to West Palm Beach, Fla., where outfielder Victor Robles and substitute Carl Edwards Jr. are rehabilitating.
Robles, sidelined again with back spasms, has not made any progress in baseball. Edwards, suffering from a right shoulder infection, plays catch on flat ground. And regardless of whether Doolittle joins them, he’s expected to be sidelined for a while.
But after the Nationals faced the Phillies with zero left-handed reliefs in early June, Martinez had two in his bullpen on Friday. Ferrer, 23, is a tough pitcher who’s still finding his command. Joe La Sorsa, 25, throws a sinker averaging about 87 mph and completes his arsenal with a slider and change-up. But even with that onslaught of versatility, Gray’s best practice was to pitch six innings and then pass the ball to Mason Thompson, Kyle Finnegan and Hunter Harvey, all well-rested after a day off. And that’s exactly what Gray did.
Behind him, after Gray had two outs at the scoring position in the sixth set, Thompson recorded two outs, Finnegan scored four and Harvey handled the last three. The offense, accelerated by Stone Garrett’s two-run shot in the second set, thwarted several chances to extend their lead. But because of Gray, Thompson, Finnegan and Harvey, two runs were enough. The Nationals (33-48) have won three in a row and five of six.
“It feels great because the guys are really excited there,” Martinez said. “I’m happy with the way these guys are playing.”
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