Gray can't finish what he starts in loss to Mets (updated)

NEW YORK – The Nationals are still determining when and how much they intend to keep pitching Josiah Gray through the season’s final month, acknowledging the 24-year-old right-hander is fast approaching a workload beyond any he’s handled before.

For now, the club is trying to manage Gray’s innings by giving him extra time between some starts, in this most recent case skipping his last turn in the rotation altogether. The Nats, though, do want to make sure he gets more opportunities to pitch in meaningful games, particularly games against teams playing in a pennant race down the stretch.

All of that brought more significance to tonight’s game at Citi Field than it might otherwise have held. Making his first start in 13 days, in his hometown with friends and family members in attendance, Gray went up against a tough Mets lineup that’s trying to lead its team to a division title and then more come October.

The end result? Despite some encouraging moments along the way, Gray nonetheless was charged with six runs in five-plus innings, turning what was shaping up to be a competitive game into a comfortable 7-3 Mets victory that left the Nats with a 9-43 record against division opponents this year.

"Obviously, I enjoyed pitching back here in New York and getting a little bit of rest," he said. "The results didn't go my way, but I felt really good. It was a lot of fun to pitch here in New York."

The Nationals had their share of opportunities to give Gray a lead early, totaling seven at-bats with runners in scoring position in the third and fourth innings alone. But they managed only one hit during that time, and the one run they scored came when Lane Thomas struck out on a pitch in the dirt and Mets catcher Tomas Nido tried to pick Victor Robles off third base but threw the ball away for an error that allowed not only Robles to score but Thomas to take first base.

"A very risky play," Robles said, via interpreter Octavio Martinez. "But he took the risk, and I took advantage of it."

The Nats would plate a couple more runs later, getting clutch hits from Alex Call (pinch-hitting for Nelson Cruz, who is day-to-day after fouling a ball off his right knee) and Ildemaro Vargas (his second double of the game). But that’s all they could muster off New York starter David Peterson, and that left Gray will no margin for error when he was on the mound.

Making his first career start near his hometown of New Rochelle, N.Y., Gray had a large contingent of family members and friends at Citi Field. Davey Martinez knew the young right-hander’s emotions would be high but hoped his earlier experiences pitching against the Dodgers and Reds (the two organizations that used to employ him) would help him enter this one with his emotions more under control.

"I thought he handled it really well," Martinez said. "He kept us in the ballgame. The sixth inning, he just made a couple mistakes over the plate, the ball started getting up on him. And for me, that's an indication he's probably a little bit tired. But other than that, he threw the ball well."

Gray certainly had his moments tonight, from a pair of 1-2-3 innings against the top of the Mets lineup to a couple of big pitches that allowed him to get out of jams. But ultimately he was done in by his two biggest Achilles’ heels: walks and homers.

Gray issued four free passes in five-plus innings tonight (one of them intentional), leaving him with an average of 3.99 per nine innings for the season. That’s the eighth-highest rate among all major league pitchers with at least 100 innings.

He also served up two more homers tonight – a two-run shot by Eduardo Escobar in the second, then a solo blast by Pete Alonso to lead off the sixth – raising his season total to 34, by far the most in the majors and only three shy of the club record Patrick Corbin established last year.

"I think it's just about him pitching down, sometimes pitching in more," Martinez said. "But that's something that he's going to learn. For the most part, when he keeps the ball down, he's got good life on his fastball. It runs, and it's really good. We've got to keep talking to him about keeping his fastball down, especially in big moments, and trying to get the ball on the ground."

All that said, Gray took the mound for the bottom of the sixth in a 3-3 game, with a chance to finish on a strong note and give his team an opportunity to win. He wound up unable to retire any of the three batters he faced before Martinez signaled to the bullpen.

In came Steve Cishek to try to keep the deficit at 4-3 (via Alonso’s homer) but the veteran right-hander promptly gave up three hits, allowing both inherited runners to score, plus one of his own. Just like that, Gray wound up charged with six earned runs in five innings on a night when it felt like he deserved better.

"Going into the sixth, I was talking to myself, saying I had a chance to make it a decent outing," he said. "Obviously, it didn't happen. But the team kept me in the game. I feel really bad to let those guys down. Three outs away from having a very different conversation right now."