The Nationals are 20-27 through 47 games, a record that has a team that many thought would easily lost 100 games on pace to go 67-95. A big part of it is starting pitching, which MASN’s Bobby Blanco heaped praise on when he joined BMitch & Finlay on Monday.
“Starting pitching is what this team has always been built around. Patrick Corbin has been pitching a lot better than the last three seasons, and you make the trades to get guys like MacKenzie Gore and Josiah Gray – it starts right there,” Blanco said. “And the biggest thing is that these guys, when they don’t have their best stuff, they’re still turning in quality starts and good outings. Last year, when they didn’t have it, things went south quickly; Gray had six walks yesterday, but he got himself out of jams and got through five innings without any earned runs.”
The top three is strong right now, and there are reinforcements coming now, soon, and in the future, too.
“If you add Jake Irvin into this conversation as well, you get very excited about the rotation in a year or two,” Blanco said. “You figured Gore was the guy who was the most major-league ready of what they got in the Soto trade and is the ace, and Gray could be a mid-rotation piece, but he’s been pitching like the ace. And, Irvin has had a pretty solid debut so far; people put him behind guys like Cade Cavalli, who is out this year, but he’s been really impressive so far. You have to get excited about a future rotation of Gore, Gray, Irvin, Cavalli, and then a guy like Cole Henry, one of their top prospects, coming back from Thoracic Outlet Syndrome surgery and getting into rehab games.”
Of course, the offense has to back up that pitching, and while JP Finlay said they’ve been ‘plucky’ so far, Blanco says results or not, guys have been hitting the ball ‘well,’ so anything can happen as the weather warms up around the circuit.
Hear everything Blanco had to say about the offense, the pitching, Juan Soto’s return to DC this week (and Gore and C.J. Abrams facing their old team in the process), and more in the clip above!
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