COLORADO ROCKIES NOTES:
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WASHINGTON NATIONALS NOTES:
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…Colorado outfielder Brenton Doyle is from Warrenton, VA and graduated from Kettle Run High School in Nokesville before attending Shepard (WV) University.
LATE NIGHT NATS
Trailing 5-2 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, the Nationals plated four runs in the inning to take a 6-5 lead…Joey Meneses’ towering three-run home run capped the rally.
- Stone Garrett (2-for-3, HR, RBI, BB, R) clubbed his seventh home run, while Riley Adams (2-for-4, 2B, RBI) recorded his third straight multi-hit effort.
- Following this series, the Nationals will head to New York (NL) for a four-game weekend series starting Thursday.
STATUS CHECK
The Nationals have won four of their last five, eight of their last 13 and are 14-12 (.538) since June 24…This stretch includes series victories over the San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants.
ROSTER MOVE
The Nationals selected Andres Machado from Triple-A Rochester and optioned Amos Willingham to TripleA Rochester…To make room for Machado on the 40-man roster, Victor Robles was transferred to the 60-day Injured List.
CANDY CAN DO IT
Jeimer Candelario is third in the National League with 29 doubles and is tied for sixth with 47 extra-base hits…With 29 doubles and 16 home runs in 94 games, he’s already surpassed his 2022 totals (19 2B, 13 HR in 124 games).
BACKSTOP BATS
Some notes on Washington’s catchers
- Riley Adams has produced multi-hit efforts in his last three starts and in four of his last five…During this five-game stretch, he is 9-for-20 (.450) with three doubles, a homer and three RBI.
- Keibert Ruiz is 15-for-36 (.417) with four doubles, two homers, seven RBI, four walks, one stolen base and seven runs scored over his last 10 games…He’s reached base safely in 19 of 40 plate appearances (.475 OBP) during the streak.
LANE TRAIN
Lane Thomas is 7-for-20 (.350) with two doubles, a homer, three RBI, four stolen bases and five runs scored over his last five games.
- He ranks in the National League in hits (4th, 117), average (7th, .293), doubles (T4th, 26) and runs (T9th, 68).
- He leads the National League (T1st in MLB) with a career-high 11 outfield assists.
LEADING MAN
Since being moved to the leadoff spot on July 7, CJ Abrams is hitting .362 (21-for-58) with two doubles, a triple, three homers, six RBI, three walks, one hit by pitch, nine stolen bases and 15 runs scored…He’s hit safely in 12 of the 14 and has reached safely in 13 of the 14.
- Beyond the last 14 games, he is hitting .339 with a .550 slugging percentage (7 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR) and is 14-for-14 in stolen base attempts over his last 29 games since June 19.
- He has stolen 17 consecutive bases without being caught… Abrams was last caught stealing on May 3 vs. Chicago (NL).
OK, KYLE
Kyle Finnegan has three saves, four holds and has pitched to a 1.00 ERA (2 ER/18.0 IP) with a .167 opponents’ average (10-for-60) in his last 15 appearances.
- He’s set a new career-high and is tied for ninth in the NL with 14 saves this season.
- Finnegan surrendered seven earned runs and three home runs in his first three outings…Since the next outing on April 7 at Colorado, he has pitched to a 1.79 ERA (8 ER/40.1 IP) with 41 strikeouts and three home runs allowed in 37 games.
DOM(INATING)
Dominic Smith is hitting .321 with a .500 slugging percentage over his last 24 games…He has five doubles, three homers, 10 RBI, four walks, three hit by pitch and nine runs scored over this span.
- He is 9-for-20 (.450) over his last seven games with four multi-hit games along the way.
NOBODY SHUTS OUT THE NATS
The Nationals have not been shut out since April 19 vs. Baltimore, a streak of 83 straight games…It is the longest active streak in Major League Baseball and the second-longest streak this season (87 G, Arizona, March 30-July 5).
TOP OF THE HOUR
The Nationals have scored 64 runs in the first inning this season, the fifth-most in Major League Baseball.
- Only the Atlanta Braves (101), Los Angeles Dodgers (79), Houston Astros (72) and San Diego Padres (67) have scored more runs in the first inning this season
STARTING PITCHER – #74 JAKE IRVIN
Tall right-handed starter was added to Washington’s 40-man roster following the 2022 season…Has the “Best Control” in Washington’s system, perBaseball America…Joins other University of Oklahoma pitchers Cade Cavalli (2020 Draft) and Jake Bennett (2022 Draft) in the Nationals organization….Is the 25th pitcher drafted/signed and developed by the Washington Nationals to start a game for Washington (2005-pres.).
LAST START
Struck out a career-high nine batters, walked one and allowed three earned runs on five hits in a career-high 6.2 innings to earn the win…He also induced a career-high 13 swings & misses and forced 10 or more swings & misses for the second time this season (June 22 vs. ARI).
vs. COLORADO
Has never faced the Rockies.
RECENCY BIAS
Since having his turn in the rotation skipped in early June for rest, Irvin has pitched to a 4.10 ERA (17 ER/37.1 IP) with 30 strikeouts and 10 walks allowed in seven starts…He has allowed nine extra-base hits (2 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR) while holding opponents to a .255 average…His best start came on July 21 against San Francisco when he allowed three earned runs on five hits with nine strikeouts and one walk in 6.2 innings.
THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
Irvin is 1-1 with a 4.95 ERA (11 ER/20.0 IP) in four road outings…He has yet to make a road start east of the Mississippi River (at SFG, at LAD, at SEA, at STL).
FIRST MAJOR LEAGUE WIN
Earned his first Major League win on May 8 at San Francisco…Tossed 6.1 shutout innings with five strikeouts, three walks and four hits allowed…With the outing, Irvin became the first pitcher in Nationals history (2005- pres.) to finish one of his first two career starts with at least 6.0 scoreless innings.
FIRST MAJOR LEAGUE START
Made his Major League debut at home against the Chicago Cubs…Allowed one run on two hits in 4.1 IP with four walks and three strikeouts…Took a no decision but the Nationals won the game 2-1.
THE STORY OF HIS CURVEBALL
As told to Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post: “To Irvin, baseball was more about having fun than plotting a future. He learned his curveball grip by messing around in the backyard. He honed the pitch by throwing it from shortstop to first base during practice, a way of messing with his teammates.”
- Opposing batters are 14-for-88 (.179) with 18 strikeouts against his curveball.
