Quick Note: Winners and Losers from the Nats First ST Game
Winner: MacKenzie Gore
Gore tossed a fantastic first inning, with his velocities all up a few ticks from last year. Notably, he did it against the heart of the Cardinals order, striking out Tommy Edman and generating weak contact from MVP finalists Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado.
Loser: Alex Colomé
On paper, Colomé had a good day, a 9 pitch 1-2-3 frame, but that is in no way a reflection of how he pitched. Colomé gave up 3 hard hit fly balls (91.1 MPH, 100.3 MPH, 104.4 MPH). Further, he couldn’t generate a single swing and miss. Colomé’s stuff looked very flat and hittable. He’ll need to fix that to become a serious contender for a bullpen spot.
Winner: CJ Abrams
What a day for CJ Abrams, as he singled in his first plate appearance before swiping second and scoring on a Stone Garrett RBI single. He followed that up in his next appearance by having a fantastic at bat that ended up with him being rung up on ball four by Carlos Torres on a fastball out of the zone. It was CJ’s third AB that was the best of his day; facing off against lefty flame thrower Genesis Cabrera, Abrams laced a double down the left field line. A fantastic day at the plate for CJ!
Loser: Wily Peralta
Peralta, trying to grab a roster spot as either a depth starter or long reliever did not inspire confidence Saturday, giving up a double to Paul deJong, and a bomb to Brendan Donovan. The Nats will need to see far more out of Peralta to consider him for a roster spot.
Winner: Jake Alu
Alu, fighting for the third base spot stepped up late ripping a double and drawing a walk in two plate appearances, a really good debut in his bid for a 26-man roster spot.
Loser: Yadiel Hernandez
Yadi didn’t have a great day at the plate, going 0-2 with a K, but his falling victim to the pitch clock landed him on the list. Hernandez got called for a pitch clock violation before his first at bat, landing him in an 0-1 hole before he even saw a pitch. Though not a huge mistake, giving up free strikes like this is something Manager Dave Martinez will likely not tolerate