Gore tries to find bright spots in latest frustrating start

ST. LOUIS – MacKenzie Gore probably wouldn’t have looked at this kind of start – six runs allowed over five innings – and found positives to focus on at any other point this season. But this is where the Nationals left-hander is these days, searching for some good developments to cling to during what has been one of the toughest stretches of his career.

“Look, today wasn’t good. But it was better,” he said. “I’m trying to figure this whole thing out and stop the bleeding here. We’re going to. But it obviously wasn’t great today.”

Taking the mound Friday night hoping to snap a run of four substandard performances over his last five starts, Gore didn’t really do that, as evidenced by his final line. But his night did start off on a high note, with only 24 pitches thrown over two scoreless innings. And it ended on a high note as well, striking out Dylan Carlson with a runner in scoring position to close out a scoreless fifth.

The trouble is what took place in between, especially during a nightmare third inning.

That frame began with Gore allowing the first five Cardinals batters he faced to reach and ultimately score. He walked No. 9 batter Michael Siani. He surrendered a two-run homer to Masyn Winn. He allowed singles to Willson Contreras and Alec Burleson. And then he served up a three-run homer to Nolan Arenado to complete the sudden rally and ensure this would go down as another poor start.

The key factor during that brutal stretch: Gore fell behind in the count to all five hitters.

“He was 2-0 to almost every hitter, 1-0 to Arenado,” manager Davey Martinez said. “When he’s ahead, he’s really, really good and really efficient. I talked to him a little bit about how we’ve got to keep working ahead.”

Gore did throw more strikes overall than he had in other recent starts, 57 of his 90 pitches in total. And he avoided the string of drawn-out at-bats that defined his last outing against the Reds, when he needed 48 pitches just to complete the first inning.

Those positive developments, combined with his strong final inning, helped leave a better taste in his mouth at night’s end.

“I think that was important, especially just to get through five. It just gave us a chance,” said Gore, whose teammates rallied from a 6-3 deficit to eventually win 10-8 in 10 innings. “As frustrating as the third and fourth were, I was able to get through the fifth. That was big. I got a strikeout when we needed it. As a whole, it’s a tough go right now. But I’m trying, and I believe we’re going to figure this out. But it’s not a great feeling right now.”

Just over a month ago, Gore sported a 3.26 ERA and some discussion about his worthiness for All-Star consideration. Since then, he’s compiled an 8.42 ERA and reached the sixth inning only once.

The Nationals’ ability to overcome several of these rough starts has made it easier on Gore. But he fully acknowledges that won’t work in the long run. Improvement is paramount on his part before the season completely gets away from him.

“I’d like to think the mindset is good. At this point, I don’t like saying we have to do something, but I need to pitch better,” he said. “Because these are piling up here. We’re doing the right work. It’s just happening in the game, and it’s no one’s fault but mine. I still have confidence and understand who I am when I do what I’m supposed to do. It’s just I’m not doing it consistently right now.”