NO PRESSURE, MITCHELL!:
As the Nationals’ Communications Department noted before last night’s game, 24-year-old, 2020 5th Round pick Mitchell Parker, who made his MLB debut in the series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Dodger Stadium, became just the second pitcher in MLB history to, “… face three former MVPs as the first three hitters of his career,” with the Dodgers lining up Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and Freddy Freeman against Washington’s southpaw.
Citing info from Elias Sports, the Nationals wrote Parker, “… [joined] Ron Darling from Sept. 6, 1983 when he faced Joe Morgan, Pete Rose, Mike Schmidt.”
Nats’ skipper Davey Martinez, in announcing Parker would get the nod in the first of three in LA, said he was confident the left-hander could handle the pressure of making his first start in the majors against a tough lineup, having watched him up close this past Spring Training.
“The way he attacked the strike zone, it just seemed like nothing really rattled him, he was very composed,” Martinez told reporters, as quoted on MLB.com. “He’s got a good mix of pitches. He’s going to go out there and hopefully keep us in the game.”
Parker said he was obviously excited to live out his baseball dream.
“Everybody thinks about what it will be your first time out there,” Parker said. “Hopefully, this exceeds everything that we were dreaming about. It should be fun.”
His first MLB outing began with a strikeout of Betts, who K’d swinging through a 94.6 MPH fastball up high from Parker. Ohtani and Freeman both singled, and Ohtani scored to tie it up at 1-1 after one, with the lefty striking out Teoscar Hernández to end a 22-pitch frame.
Dodgers’ third baseman Max Muncy doubled down the line in right on an 0-1 curve to lead off in the home second, took third on a fly to right by Enrique Hernández, and scored on a sac fly to center by Chris Taylor, 2-1 Dodgers.
Parker was up up to 37 pitches total after a 15-pitch second, and 56 total after he set the top of the Dodgers’ lineup down in order in a 19-pitch third, striking Ohtani out (with a 2-2 curve, knee-high, inside) for his third K from 12 batters faced after he got a 3-2 lead to work with in the top of the inning. #shutdown
After he stranded Dodgers’ catcher Will Smith following a leadoff single in the fourth, Parker was up to 75 on the night, and he returned to the mound in the fifth with a 6-2 lead, and set the side down in order, striking out Betts in a three-pitch at-bat, which ended with a filthy 0-2 curve in the dirt. Six-pitch frame, 81 total.
Mitchell Parker’s Line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 Ks, 81 P, 52 S, 2/6 GO/FO.
Parker earned the W in a 6-4 win in LA, and he ended the night with six swinging strikes, five on his curve, and 16 called strikes, seven on his fastball, and nine on his breaking ball.
What did Martinez see from his debuting starter?
“The consistency of just pounding the strike zone,” the manager said. “He was around the strike zone all night. Mixed his pitches up really well. I thought him and [catcher] Riley [Adams] worked really good together. The kid’s got good stuff. He gave us the innings we needed. We wanted to keep him around 80 pitches, and it worked out great. I’m glad he got his first win.”
“After the first inning it seemed like he kind of settled down and by the fourth inning, he was like, ‘Hey, let’s go,’” Martinez added. “I think sitting in-between the innings was getting to him a little bit. And then we went up to him in the fifth inning, just to see how he was, he wanted to go back out, which says a lot, but I had to be smart, and at 80 pitches, I thought that was plenty. He gave us five good innings.”
ABRAMS UP TOP:
Dodgers’ starter Tyler Glasnow tossed seven scoreless, striking out 14, when he faced the Minnesota Twins last week, but Washington’s Nationals put one up on the right-hander in the top of the first last night, with CJ Abrams doubling to right-center on the first pitch of the game, and scoring from third two outs later on a wild pitch from LA’s starter, 1-0 early.
It was 2-1 Dodgers in the third when Abrams stepped in again and battled Glasnow for six pitches, then hit a center-cut 3-2 fastball 404 ft to center in Chavez Ravine for his 4th HR this season, tying things up at 2-2.
Jesse Winker doubled to left on a 3-2 fastball low and away after Abrams’ blast, and scored from third one out later on an RBI double to right by Joey Gallo, 3-2 Nationals.
Winker singled with one out in the fifth, Gallo walked (on four pitches) and Luis García got to a full count with Glasnow and hit a slider up in the zone outside to left-center field for a 376-foot home run and a 6-2 Nats’ lead. No. 1 of 2024 for García, No. 2 on the night for the Nationals off Glasnow, who’d given up two in 24 IP over his first four starts.
“When Luis stays on the baseball, he can hit,” skipper Davey Martinez said after the game of García’s three-run blast. “He’s got to keep his head down, he’s got to think about hitting the ball up the middle of the field. That was a great swing, it really was. And like I’ve always said, the three-run homers are sexy and I’m glad we got one tonight.”
ROSTER MOVES:
Before the series opener with the Dodgers, the Nats announced a series of roster moves:
- Recalled left-handed pitcher Mitchell Parker from Triple-A Rochester
- Recalled catcher Drew Millas from Triple-A Rochester
- Returned infielder Nick Senzel from rehab and reinstated him from the Injured List
- Optioned infielder Trey Lipscomb to Triple-A Rochester
- Placed catcher Keibert Ruiz on the 10-day Injured List retroactive to April 12 with Influenza
- Optioned right-handed pitcher Amos Willingham to Triple-A Rochester on Sunday
While the demotion of Lipscomb, 23, and 11 for 49 (.224/.278/.286) with three walks and 11 Ks in 14 games and 55 PAs, might have surprised, it probably shouldn’t have, with skipper Davey Martinez explaining from the start this season he wanted the young infielder to play every day at this point in his development.
“That was really tough,” Martinez said of informing Lipscomb of the move.
“Such a great kid. The whole premise is he’s got to play every day. Luis [García] is playing well. We need to get Nick [Senzel] back.
“So [Lipscomb is] going to go down and play every day, and I don’t foresee him being down there long.
Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
“We talked to him about some of the hitting stuff, the baserunning stuff that we want him to continue to work on, but he’ll be back. He did really well. He really has. And handled himself unbelievably with his teammates, with the staff, myself. He did well. We haven’t seen the last of Trey.”
His message for Lipscomb on the way out?
“I told him: ‘Hold onto to what you did. When you come back next time, it’s for you to stay here. Let’s build off that,’” Martinez shared.
“We’ve all been through it. We were all young, we all got sent down. Just go out there and knock the door down and get yourself back up here.’”
