WASHINGTON NATIONALS NOTES:
POWER HOUR
The Washington Nationals scored a season-high 10 runs on a season-high 19 hits en route to their first road win of the 2023 season, 10-5 triumph over the Colorado Rockies.
• Every hitter in the starting lineup recorded at least one hit, with all but two recording multi-hit efforts…While they didn’t have multiple hits, Alex Call and Jeimer Candelario clubbed back-to-back home runs to start the game.
• MacKenzie Gore allowed two earned runs on five hits with six strikeouts and two walks to earn his second win in as many starts.
OFF AND RUNNING
CJ Abrams matched a Nationals record (2005-pres.) with two triples on Friday night…It was the second two-triple game in Major League Baseball this season (also: LAD James Outman, 4/3 vs. COL)…Abrams went 3-for-5 with three RBI and one run scored in addition to the two triples.
• Abrams is 7-for-15 (.467) with a double, two triples, three RBI, one walk and two runs scored over his last four games…This comes after starting the season in an 0-for-10 stretch.
VIC AND LANE
• Victor Robles ranks in the National League in on-base percentage (T9th, .483) and batting average (T10th, .375)…He is 7-for-14 (.500) with a double, RBI, two walks, one stolen base and two runs scored over his last four games.
• Lane Thomas joins Robles in the tie for 10th in the National League with a .375 batting average…He has hit safely in six of eight games and has reached safely in seven of the eight this season.
OFF TO A GOOD START
Slick-fielding first baseman Dominic Smith is off to a strong start on defense…He is one of five National League first baseman to accumulate at least one defensive run saved, per FanGraphs.com….According to Baseball Savant, Smith (1 OAA) is one of six National League first baseman with at least one out above average…Arizona’s Christian Walker leads NL first baseman with two outs above average so far this season.
BULLPENNING
Washington’s bullpen ranks sixth in the National League in both opponents’ on-base percentage (.289) and opponents’ batting average (.234).
• Mason Thompson has tossed 7.0 innings of three-hit, one-run relief across two outings…He has yet to issue a walk…Thompson has pitched at least 2.0 innings in all three outings, and matched a career-high with 3.0 innings on April 3 vs. Tampa Bay (3.0 IP, H, ER, HR, SO).
NOTHING BUT A NUMBER
The Nationals were one of six teams that had least three players in the top 50 youngest players in Major League Baseball to start the season…The Arizona Diamondbacks (5), St. Louis Cardinals (5), Detroit Tigers (3), Pittsburgh Pirates (3) and Seattle Mariners (3) also had three players in the top 50.
• CJ Abrams (22) is the third-youngest player in Major League Baseball, while Luis Garcia (23) is 15th and Keibert Ruiz (24) is 50th.
OPPONENT
COLORADO ROCKIES
The Nationals and Rockies will meet seven times this season (4 in COL, 3 in D.C.)…Nationals bullpen coach Henry Blanco played in Colorado during the 1999 season…First base coach Eric Young Jr. was drafted by the Rockies in the 30th round of the 2003 Draft and went on to spend five Major Leagues seasons (2009-13) with the Rockies…Chad Kuhl pitched for Colorado in 2022.
STARTING PITCHER – #32 TREVOR WILLIAMS
Veteran right-handed starter signed a two-year contract with the Nationals in Dec. 2022…From 2018-21, Williams was exclusively a starter, but he transitioned to a versatile swingman in 2021 and 2022…He is 35-41 with a 4.33 ERA in 118 career starts and 3-3 with a 3.84 ERA in 41 relief outings…Was a second-round pick of the Miami Marlins in 2013 but was traded to Pittsburgh in 2015 while pitching in the Arizona Fall League.
LAST START
Made his Nationals debut on April 3 vs. Tampa Bay…Allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits with three strikeouts and one walk in 5.0 innings of work…Three runs came via two homers… The unearned run was due to a fielding error on Williams.
vs. COLORADO
Is 2-2 with a 5.32 ERA in four career starts against the Rockies…Is no stranger to Coors Field, with three of the four starts coming in Denver…Is 2-1 with a 6.11 ERA in those three starts with 12.74 runs of support per outing.
2023 SPRING TRAINING
Went 2-1 with a 4.43 ERA in six Spring Training starts…Started the Exhibition game vs. New York (AL) on March 28.
• Allowed just one earned run on five hits in his final two starts of Spring Training (10.0 IP).
2022
In his second season with the Mets, went 3-5 with a 3.21 ERA in 30 games (nine starts)…Went 2-4 with a 4.19 ERA in nine starts and 1-1 with one save and a 2.47 ERA in 21 relief appearances…Tossed a career-high and team-best 25.1 consecutive scoreless innings from July 7 to Sept. 4…Was tied for the sixthlongest streak in MLB (4th in NL) in 2022… He went 3-1 with a 2.01 ERA in 13 games (three starts) against the NL East Recorded his first career save on July 14 at Chicago (NL), pitching the final three innings (3 H, 4 SO) of the 8-0 win…2022 Pitch Mix: 4-Seam Fastball (52.8%) Changeup (13.1%) Sinker (12.6%) Slider (11.7%) Curveball (9.7%).
2021
Began the season with the Cubs before being acquired along with shortstop Javier Báez…Posted a 3.06 ERA in 10 appearances (three starts) with the Mets… Did not surrender a home run in his first eight games with the Mets, becoming the ninth pitcher in franchise history to accomplish that feat (min. 20.0 IP).
2018
Put together the best season of his career, finishing seventh in the National League in ERA…Was the only pitcher to make 10 starts of at least 6.0 innings without allowing a run (Justin Verlander, 2nd with 9)…His 1.38 ERA after the All-Star break was second-lowest among all starting pitchers behind Tampa Bay’s Blake Snell (1.17)…Recorded a then-career-high 21.0 scoreless innings streak from July 11 to Aug. 5 and a 20.2 scoreless innings streak from Aug. 22 to Sept. 10…Was credited with his first career shutout in a rain-shortened 7-0 win at Cleveland on July 23 (6.0 IP).
2017
Made his first career Opening Day roster and took part in his first full Major League season…Ranked third among National League pitchers (min. 150.0 IP) with 0.84 HR/9.0 innings…Ranked first in ERA (4.07), fourth in innings (150.1) and fourth in strikeouts (117) among National League rookies with at least 100.0 innings…Threw a career-high 114 pitches in a career-high 8.0 scoreless innings on August 23 vs. Los Angeles (NL)…Faced off against Rich Hill, who took a perfect game into the ninth inning and lost his no-hit bid on Josh Harrison’s walk-off homer in the 10th inning.
2016
Made his Major League debut on Sept. 7 vs. St. Louis…Earned the win after allowing one run (unearned) in 3.0 innings of relief…Was the MVP of Triple-A Indianapolis after going 9-6 with a 2.53 ERA in 20 games (19 starts).
COLORADO ROCKIES NOTES:
No release available.
