Washington D.C. - On a pleasant day in Washington D.C., the baseball gods smiled upon the Washington Nationals as they managed to avoid a sweep by the visiting Philadelphia Phillies, winning 3-2. Kyle Finnegan secured his third save of the 2024 season, although not without some heart-stopping moments, notably a laser fly ball to left field by former Washington Nationals shortstop Trea Turner. Thanks to a spectacular catch by outfielder Jesse Winker, the Nationals maintained their lead and clinched the victory.

Before delving into the offense, let’s discuss the pitching. Left-handed pitcher Mackenize Gore, seeking his first win and aiming for a stronger performance, achieved just that. He pitched 5.2 innings, conceding only two runs on five hits, striking out six batters, and securing his first win of the 2024 season. Gore now holds an ERA of 4.09 for the season.

"It was a good outing," Gore told reporters after securing his first win of the season. "It was one of those days where we needed to find a way to win a game, and I thought everybody did a great job of that."

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Manager Davey Martinez also commended Gore's utilization of multiple pitches, particularly his fastball. "He's got his fastball," Martinez said. "For me, it's his misses. If he can keep his misses close to the zone, it's tough for hitters to lay off. His ball has that late ride to it. So when he does that and stays around the plate, he becomes very difficult to hit. When he mixes in his changeups and curveball, he's pretty nasty."

The Nationals' bullpen trio of Weems, Harvey, and Finnegan was flawless, not conceding any hits or runs in four innings of relief.

Martinez highlighted the significance of Gore providing the bullpen with some rest by pitching into the later innings. "He gave us the innings we needed... He did great. Our boys battled. They battled all day. Our at-bats were better. We hit some balls hard, and our defense was really good. We made some really nice plays. So we came out ahead at the end, and it was a good day."

On the offensive front, the Nationals scored three runs on eight hits, leaving nine runners on base and going 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

Timely hits from Luis García Jr. and Joey Meneses and a sacrifice fly from Riley Adams propelled the Nationals to victory against the Phillies.

In his post-game remarks, Davey Martinez expressed excitement about the upcoming west coast road. "This was a team win," Martinez said. "You got Mackenzie to go out there and get us into the sixth inning, and the bullpen came in and did their job. We scratched and clawed to get the three runs. It's awesome. I want the guys to understand that we can do this. We can win without always having to score five, six, or seven runs… So it was a good day all around. It's nice to be able to go five hours on a plane knowing that you just won today. Then we can relax a little bit and get ready to go tomorrow.”

Next, the Nationals will embark on a 10-day, nine-game road trip to the West Coast. They will face the San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, and the Los Angeles Dodgers before returning home for what's being dubbed "Championship Weekend," when they host the Houston Astros from April 19-21 in D.C.

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