'It's awesome': Trio of young Nats achieve milestones?

WASHINGTON -- The young Nats achieved milestones on both sides of the field in a 4-3 win over the Marlins at Nationals Park on Sunday.

Left-hander MacKenzie Gore made his 30th start of the season -- a career-high for the 25-year-old southpaw who tallied 27 starts in 2023.

At the plate, rookie James Wood pummeled two home runs in a game for the first time since he debuted on July 1.

And, with the Nationals trying to prevent a Marlins comeback, southpaw Jose A. Ferrer earned his first career save.

“It’s gratifying to see them getting better every day,” manager Dave Martinez said after the Nats won the season series, 11-2. “To see them doing the things that we think they can do and have success doing it, it’s awesome.”

Gore giving the Nats more

Gore pitched six innings without an earned run (one unearned), allowing two hits and two walks while striking out five. Despite throwing 31 pitches in the first inning, he worked efficiently to total 93 on the afternoon.

Gore is one of eight National League pitchers who have made 30 starts at this point in the season, a group that includes teammates Patrick Corbin and Jake Irvin.

“That’s a big deal,” said Gore. “But we’re not done yet.”

Gore was sidelined when he was acquired from the Padres in the 2022 Juan Soto megatrade. Last year was his first full season pitching in the Majors (and with the Nationals). This season, he was tabbed as the No. 2 starter in the rotation.

• 2022: 13 starts (three relief appearances), 70 innings, 4-4, 4.50 ERA
• 2023: 27 starts, 136 1/3 innings, 7-10, 4.42 ERA
• 2024 (through Sunday): 30 starts, 153 1/3 innings, 9-12, 4.17 ERA

“He’s taking really good care of himself all throughout the year,” Martinez said. “He’s a gamer. He’s a competitor, he wants to go out there every five days and pitch. … He wants to be on a routine. But I love him because every time I give him the ball, he’s going to give me everything he’s got every day.”

Twice as nice for Wood

Wood clobbered his sixth home run of the season -- and the farthest of his career -- in the fifth inning off a 94 mph fastball from right-hander Adam Oller. The Statcast-projected 435-foot blast soared to center field with a 109 mph exit velocity.

“It felt good to have some things click for me today,” Wood said. “And I was able to see the results on the field.”

In the eighth, Wood roped an 87.5 mph slider from righty Declan Cronin 426 feet to left-center field, the ball leaving his bat at 107.7 mph. Cronin had not allowed a home run all season.

“The kid’s gonna be a superstar for a long time in this game,” said Marlins manager Skip Schumaker. “He had two home runs. ... One was a really well located pitch, the other one unfortunately broke Cronin’s streak.”

Wood has hit safely in 12 of his past 16 games.

“I love the swings,” said Martinez. “He was behind the balls really well. He stayed in the middle of the field, which was awesome. Let’s see if we can keep him there until the end of the year, and he hits a few more for us.”

Ferrer saves best for last

With Kyle Finnegan unavailable after pitching Friday and Saturday, Martinez turned to the 24-year-old Ferrer in the ninth. Ferrer allowed one run off two hits before getting Nick Fortes to fly out to left field with a runner on second base, earning his first Major League save.

“He was pumping strikes,” Martinez said. “He got in a little of a jam, but he got out of it. He threw the ball really well. Proud of him.”

Ferrer said that, while he was nervous, the best part of the day was the reaction from the fans when he recorded the final out. The experience will help him be more relaxed if he pitches in a save situation again.

“It’s hard to explain it with words,” Ferrer said. “It’s definitely very different than any other inning I’ve pitched so far.”

Ferrer missed the first 97 games this season because of a left lat strain. He's posted a 1.00 ERA, six holds and 14 strikeouts in his past 17 relief appearances.

“I’ve always told him that, if he can control the strike zone and throw strikes, he can pitch in high-leverage situations,” Martinez said. “He’s got an unbelievable fastball, a lot of movement. Changeup’s really, really good. With those two elite pitches, as long as he’s around the zone, he’s really good.”