Washington Nationals news & notes: Dodgers take series opener in D.C., 4-1; Nats’ bullpen; Keibert Ruiz at AA…

Notes and quotes from last night in Nationals Park…

CORBIN NUMBERS MATCH EFFORT FOR ONCE:

A frequent refrain from Nationals’ manager Davey Martinez following Patrick Corbin’s starts this season has been some variation on the idea that the numbers don’t tell the whole story as far as how the left-hander has fared.

“Once again, the numbers show he didn’t pitch well,” Martinez said after the 34-year-old put 6 ¹⁄₃ innings of work in on the road in Dodger Stadium, giving up nine hits, four walks, and a total of five runs, all earned, in what ended up a 6-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“All in all, he gave us six-plus innings, a couple hits here and there,” Martinez continued. He tried to stretch Corbin a bit with the bullpen beat up at the time, and it didn’t go well, but it was another decent-enough outing for the 12-year veteran, who finished the night with an ERA just north of 8.00 (8.06, actually), a 4.66 FIP, and a .379/.419/.568 line against over 22 ¹⁄₃ IP this year.

Last night in the nation’s capital, Corbin lowered the ERA to 6.51 with 5 ¹⁄₃ scoreless against the same Dodgers he faced during the road trip, giving up three hits and three walks in the 86-pitch, 50-strike start.

Corbin generated fewer swinging (6) and called strikes (11, 7 with his sinker) this time out on the mound, after getting nine swinging and 12 called strikes in Chavez Ravine, but he kept a tough lineup off the board this time out, stranding a two-out double and a walk in the top of the first, getting a double play one out after leadoff walk in the second, leaving two on once again in the third, and retiring the side in order in the Dodgers’ fourth, before he stranded a two-out hit in the fifth, and recorded one out in the sixth.

Corbin left the game up 1-0, but Derek Law gave up a run later in the sixth, 1-1, and then the Dodgers scored a couple on Hunter Harvey in the eighth, and took the series opener in D.C. by a final score of 4-1, when a baserunning gaffe stalled a potential rally and the home team left the bases loaded in the ninth.

“He threw the ball well, he really did,” Martinez said after the loss.

“I mean, he kept the ball down, he got behind. But he made some good pitches to get back in the counts, but he kept us in the game and he threw the ball well.”

The noticeable differences between the back-to-back starts against the Dodgers?

“He just kept the ball pretty much down all night. His cutter was really good. Threw a couple of good changeups, but he kept the ball down, in and out.”

LANE THOMAS INJURED:

Lane Thomas slid awkwardly into second base in the fifth inning of last night’s game, with his back leg catching in the infield dirt and bending behind him. He tried to walk it off, but had to be helped to the ground by the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts when he stumbled and tried and failed to put weight on the leg.

Thomas stayed in for a couple innings, but was replaced in right field later in the game.

“Right now it’s just left knee,” manager Davey Martinez told reporters after the loss to LA in the series opener in Nationals Park.

“He’s going to get an MRI tomorrow. We don’t know much else than that, he’s pretty stiff.”

Thomas initially said he could stay in the game, but eventually decided he couldn’t go on.

“He said he felt like he could run, so we said, ‘It’s up to you if you want to stay in the game.’ He said, ‘Oh, yeah.’ Once he got in the outfield I told [trainer Paul Lessard to] keep an eye on him, he might get stiff, and he did get stiff. So, he’s getting iced up right now, but we don’t know anything till tomorrow.”

The skipper acknowledged, however, he’d probably have to get someone headed to D.C. for tomorrow’s game, just in case.

“I think we’ll get somebody moving. He’s pretty stiff. So he’ll get an MRI tomorrow, and hopefully have something for you tomorrow afternoon.”

NO LEFTIES:

Just a few days back Davey Martinez was talking about only having one lefty in his bullpen, and saying, “that’s definitely going to be a conversation,” because he would, of course, like to have another lefty, but he did have right-handers who could get left-handed hitters out.

“It’s nice to always have 2-3 lefties in the bullpen, but we’re doing okay,” he told reporters.

Going into last night’s game, after the Nationals placed left-hander Robert Garcia on the IL, (retroactive to April 21, with influenza), Martinez didn’t have any lefties in the bullpen since the club decided to call right-hander Jacob Barnes up from Triple-A (where he had thrown eight scoreless innings, striking out 10 while allowing just one hit) to take Garcia’s place.

“We have a couple lefties who could help us [at Triple-A],” Martinez said, “… but [Barnes] was really throwing the ball really well. And hopefully he continues that here and he can help us in situations that we need him to help us.

“But when a guy is doing that well, he deserves to be up here.”

Barnes, arguably, deserved to make the Opening Day roster, after he, “posted a 0.87 ERA (1 ER/10.1 IP) with 15 strikeouts, three walks, and a .175 opponents’ [batting] average (7-for-40) in nine Grapefruit League appearances,” as a non-roster invitee, but he went down the Nats’ top minor league affiliate and kept it up till an opportunity arose.

Martinez acknowledged before last night’s game the decision on Barnes this spring was a tough one.

“It was really tough, and rightfully so,” he explained. “And I told him, when he left, I said, ‘You made things really difficult, this is a decision we all had to make, but I don’t think it’s going to take you very long to be back up here, just keep doing what you’re doing,’ and he did that, and here he is today.”

What stood out in Spring Training, Martinez said, was the way Barnes pounded the strike zone.

“The strike-throwing. Not getting in trouble. The base on balls gets him in trouble. Continue to pound the strike zone. He did that in the minor leagues and did it very effectively.

“So I want him to continue to do that whether he strikes guys out or lets our defense play behind him, just throw strikes.”

Barnes debuted with the Nationals, and gave up an RBI single which scored one of the men he inherited, but he got the final out of the inning he worked and stranded two runners.

ALSO THIS:

KEIBERT RUIZ TO AA:

Keibert Ruiz, who’s been out of action since the club was in San Francisco on their last road trip, did go out on a rehab assignment with Washington’s Double-A club last night, and the catcher went 1 for 4 at the plate, singling the first time up (though he was thrown out trying for second on the hit).

Nationals’ skipper Davey Martinez talked about the need to build strength after Ruiz lost 18-20 pounds dealing with influenza over the last few weeks, but the catcher could be back in the majors soon if all goes well with Harrisburg’s Senators.

“It’s more feel,” Martinez said of what Ruiz needs to show them before he’ll return. “He says he’s really good to go. I watched him take batting practice, hit in the cage, his stamina was pretty good. He took a lot of swings in the cage. [Nationals’ Catching and Strategy Coach] Henry [Blanco] worked him out. Henry said he felt fine. So just get him back in game speed for a couple days and then see where we’re at.”