Nats turn to MacKenzie Gore in bid to salvage finale vs. Jays

The Washington Nationals will find themselves in a familiar situation on Wednesday afternoon, needing a win to avert a three-game series sweep by the host Toronto Blue Jays.

The Nationals avoided being swept at home by the Philadelphia Phillies with a 5-1 victory on Sunday afternoon.

Washington is in the same position after a 5-3 loss on Tuesday, when the Blue Jays scored two unearned runs in the eighth inning to clinch a series victory.

The Nationals could use an encore performance from Opening Day by left-hander MacKenzie Gore (0-0, 0.00 ERA), who struck out a career-best 13 and allowed one hit over six scoreless innings. Philadelphia, however, went on to record a 7-3 victory in 10 innings.

“He’s a different guy,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez of Gore. “He doesn’t let too many things rattle him. He went out there, and on some close calls that didn’t go his way, he got right back to that next pitch.”

Gore is 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA in two career starts vs. the Blue Jays. He allowed six runs (two earned) in three innings in a no-decision against them last season.

Toronto will send out left-hander Easton Lucas to make his first major league start on Wednesday. He is 1-0 with a 9.28 ERA in 14 career relief appearances in the majors and has never faced Washington.

Right-hander Kevin Gausman had been scheduled to make his second start of the season on Wednesday. Instead, he will start on Friday on the road against the New York Mets.

The adjustment to the rotation was made because Max Scherzer (thumb) was put on the 15-day injured list on Sunday, with Lucas being promoted from the minors.

Lucas, 28, pitched twice for the Blue Jays last season.

The Nationals have had trouble scoring runs early in both games of the series.

“Our swings got better late on,” Martinez said. “We just need to keep grinding.”

The Nationals overcame a three-run deficit Tuesday to tie the game at 3 in the seventh inning when CJ Abrams doubled against Mason Fluharty, who made his major league debut.

That denied Toronto starter Jose Berrios a chance at his 100th career victory. He allowed two runs and four hits while striking out eight in 5 2/3 innings.

Toronto regained the lead in the eighth on Bo Bichette’s bouncing two-run single that twisted down the first base line. The runs were unearned because of reliever Jose A. Ferrer’s error on a sacrifice bunt by Will Wagner.

Martinez said his team needs better starts to games.

“I’d like to see our offense get going early,” he said. “Our offense needs to kick it in in the first inning.”

The Blue Jays had plenty of early hits on Tuesday. They scored three runs on five hits in the second inning and outhit the Nationals 12-6 for the game.

Toronto used the bunt effectively.

Ernie Clement and Wagner had sacrifice bunts in the eighth, and Wagner had a bunt single in the second inning.

“We actually had a bunting competition, true story, in spring training,” Toronto manager John Schneider said. “We divided the guys up into teams, with the winning team getting $1,000. … courtesy of me. They worked hard at it.

“I think Ernie (Clement) kind of stood out just with the consistency in which he practiced.”

But, as Schneider pointed out: “It doesn’t matter unless you get it done here.”

–Field Level Media