⚾️⚾️ The Morning Briefing: Stone Garrett leaves game with injury
Good Morning Washington Nationals Fan,
Here are the latest headlines and analyses around the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball for today, August 23rd. My name is Haden Raymer. Last night the New York Yankees beat the Nationals and Stone Garrett got hurt. Let’s talk about it.
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Leading today’s Morning Briefing: Stone Garrett leaves the game early in a 9-1 loss
Last night the Yankees beat the Nationals 9-1. If you are looking for a positive spin on the game, four runs were unearned, and MacKenzie Gore went four innings, striking out four and walking one while allowing two earned runs. The Nationals’ lone run came from a solo shot from Dominic Smith in the top of the ninth.
The worst part of the game was when Stone Garrett went to try and rob DJ LeMahieu of a home run, he hurt his leg when it got caught on the padding.
Garrett was given an air cast and had to be carted off of the field. It was announced earlier today that it was a fractured left fibula.
Losing Garrett absolutely sucks. He was the second-best hitter in the lineup and a massive presence in the clubhouse. In a postgame interview, Gore cried when asked about Garrett, and could not complete the interview. It’s a tough break for a player who before 2021 was out of baseball and working as a real estate agent and was not having a breakout year in the major leagues.
Why it matters: The Nationals have already placed Stone Garrett on the 10-day injured list and called up Jeter Downs. Ildemaro Vargas and Jake Alu have shown they can play in the outfield, so Vargas will likely serve as the left fielder against left-handed pitching, with Blake Rutherford, Alex Call, and Lane Thomas serving as the primary outfielders. This will improve the outfield defense in exchange for worse offensive production.
This is actually more important for the infield alignment. We have seen the Nationals be more willing to prioritize platoon advantages, so against left-handed pitching, the Nationals should play an infield of Carter Kieboom, CJ Abrams, Michael Chavis/Jeter Downs, and Joey Meneses/Dominic Smith.
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Down on the Farm
The Rochester Red Wings lost 5-2 to the Worcester Red Sox 8-7. Darren Baker went 1-3 with a double. Jake Noll went 1-3 with a home run. The Red Sox starter was former Nat Kyle Barraclough, who threw seven innings.
The Harrisburg Senators lost 6-1 to the Reading Fightin Phils. James Wood was the only player to record a hit, going 2-4 with a double. Robert Hassell III walked twice.
The Wilmington Blue Rocks lost 10-9 to the Jersey Shore BlueClaws. Andrew Pinckney went 2-5. Yohandy Morales went 2-4 with a triple and a walk. Kevin Made had his best game since joining the Nationals, going 3-4 with two doubles.
The FredNats won 8-7 against the Salem Red Sox. Elijah Green went 2-5 with two doubles. Gavin Dugas went 1-2 with a walk. Roismar Quintana went 2-4. Catcher Maxwell Romero Jr. got another hit, improving to a .822 OPS. Jorgelys Mota made his Low-A debut, going 2-4 with a triple. Christian Vaquero walked twice.
