Washington Nationals: Josiah Gray Continues To Impress

The National’s early returns from the Scherzer/Turner trade having been leaning their way, with Josiah Gray continuing to turn heads.

Replacing a future Hall of Famer in Max Scherzer is near impossible, but Josiah Gray is doing his damnedest. After striking out 10 in his last outing against the Braves, Gray picked up where he left off. The youngster went six innings, allowing only three runs while striking out six and walking none.

Despite the three-hour and 12-minute delay, Gray was unfazed, striking out Ozzie Albies to start the game. Jorge Soler who had owned him in their last matchup flew out and Freddie Freeman went down swinging.

Washington scored two quick runs in the bottom of the first to give Gray a 2-0 lead. The top of the second inning was similar to the first, with Gray recording three outs on 12 pitches including two strikeouts. This time Austin Riley and Adam Duvall were the victims.

In the top of the third inning, Travis d’Arnaud recorded the first Atlanta hit of the game, a single to right. Gray was unaffected and retired the next three batters, ending the inning with his second strikeout of Albies.

The top of the fourth inning saw Gray retire the side on seven innings. Atlanta’s offense remained baffled by the 23-year-olds arsenal. Gray was able to locate his curve and slider at ease, which complemented his heater.

In the top of the fifth inning, Gray was a pitch away from another scoreless frame before d’Arnaud took him deep to left, with the ball just scraping over the wall. The Braves catcher went 2-2 against the Nats righty and was responsible for two of the three hits he allowed.

For the first time in his young career, Gray went deeper than five innings. Davey Martinez has slowly been stretching out his young star and finally allowed him to go deeper into the game. Unfortunately, after owning Albies all night, the Braves star took Gray deep in the sixth to tie the game at two. Albies ambushed him on the first pitch of the AB, driving his curveball into the centerfield seats.

With his pitch count at only 77, Gray came back out for the seventh, but gave up his third solo shot of the night. This time to Riley. Dansby Swanson followed this up with an infield single and Gray’s night was over.

Gray’s command was crisp, with the starter not allowing a free pass for the first time this season. The long ball burned him, but this was nothing Nats fans weren’t used to. After all, Scherzer was the king of allowing solo shots. Something to note, all five of his earned runs have come via solo shots.

Overall, Gray had another dominant outing, showcasing his improvement in his secondary pitches and his ability to keep opposing batters guessing.