Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore was fantastic on the mound during Thursday's season opener against the Philadelphia Phillies. Gore recorded a career-high 13 strikeouts over six shutout innings in a no-decision. Gore only allowed one hit during his time on the mound as he looked nearly flawless out there. Sadly for Gore, the Nats bullpen was unable to hold the lead for him. Despite that, Gore puts his name in the history books with his franchise-record 13 punchouts. The 26-year-old will certainly be a popular waiver wire pickup after that performance. He'll look to keep it going next week against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez announced that left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore will start on Opening Day as the Nationals play host to the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, March 27. Gore, a former first-round pick by the San Diego Padres in 2017, will be entering his third season with the Nationals and look to start the season on a high note. During the 2024 season, Gore was 10-12 with a 3.90 ERA, 3.53 FIP, and a 10.8 K/9. Gore has been in the big leagues since 2022, and we have continued to see him improve year over year. At NFBC, Gore's ADP is 205 overall, aligning with RotoBaller's current overall rankings of 207 for Gore. Fantasy managers looking for a young arm with upside will want to target him in their upcoming drafts.
Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore is set to make his spring debut on Saturday. The Nationals will play in split-squad games against the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals that day. Gore has yet to pitch in a spring training game but has remained active on the mound. He threw two innings against live hitters earlier this week and noted that everything feels "normal" and that he is on the "same schedule as everybody." Gore is expected to serve as the ace of the rotation once again. Last season, the southpaw held a 3.90 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP across 166 1/3 innings of work. He tallied an impressive 181 punchouts but had a high 8.9 percent walk rate. He also generated a modest 4.50 xERA and a .252 xBA, which placed him in the 39th and 31st percentile. Fantasy managers should view Gore as a late-round target when looking to bolster their rotation and increase their strikeout production.
MacKenzie Gore Pushed Back, Jake Irvin To Start Spring Opener
The Washington Nationals previously named left-hander MacKenzie Gore as the starter for their Grapefruit League opener on Saturday against the Houston Astros, but he's being pushed back because he wants to be able to go two innings in his debut. Instead, right-hander Jake Irvin will make the start on Saturday. Gore and Irvin will be Washington's top two starting pitchers heading into the 2025 season, with Gore most likely getting the nod to pitch on Opening Day on March 27 at home against the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies. The 25-year-old southpaw will be looking to take the next step in his third year in D.C. after going 10-12 with a career-best 3.90 ERA (3.53 FIP) and 1.42 WHIP with a career-high 181 strikeouts and 65 walks in 166 1/3 innings over 32 starts. Opponents had a high .340 BABIP against him, but he also had the third-worst WHIP in baseball. Gore is RotoBaller's No. 69 fantasy starting pitcher.
MacKenzie Gore To Start Grapefruit League Opener On Saturday
Washington Nationals left-hander MacKenzie Gore will start the team's Grapefruit League opener on Saturday against the Houston Astros. Gore and right-hander Jake Irvin figure to be the top candidates to start on Opening Day of the regular season as well. The 25-year-old southpaw was a bit better for the Nats in his second season with the team in 2024, going 10-12 with a career-best 3.90 ERA (3.53 FIP) and 1.42 WHIP with a career-high 181 strikeouts and 65 walks in 166 1/3 innings over 32 starts. He continues to refine his repertoire and could be even better for Washington in 2025, considering hitters had a very high .340 BABIP against him. In order to take the next step, though, Gore will need to show better control of all of his pitches. At the start of spring training games this week, RotoBaller has him ranked as the No. 69 fantasy starting pitcher.
MacKenzie Gore Strikes Out Nine, Picks Up Tenth Win Of Season
Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore was solid on Saturday afternoon as he struck out nine Cubs in the Nationals' 5-1 win over Chicago. Gore went seven deep and allowed just one hit as he improved his record to 10-12 on the season. The young lefty now has five straight starts in a row allowing two earned runs or fewer. Gore has been a solid arm for the Nationals as Washington works to continue their rebuild in the NL East. His 160.1 innings pitched mark a career high for him. He's also posted a career best mark with a 3.62 FIP, suggesting that his 4.04 ERA could be even better going forward. Fantasy managers that need starting pitching help in the last week of the season may want to ensure Gore's in their lineups. Dynasty managers need to ensure Gore stays on their roster as the dynamic lefty will have plenty of value going forward. His final start of the 2024 season will come on Saturday when the Nationals host the Philadelphia Phillies.
Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore tossed six innings of one-hit ball in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Marlins, allowing just one run and one walk while striking out nine batters, but did not factor into the decision. It marked the third consecutive quality start for the 25-year-old after collecting just five quality starts over his first 25 games. The southpaw lowered his ERA on the season to 4.32, although his FIP (3.56) and xFIP (3.90) suggest he's been better than that. The former third-overall draft pick also has a 1.50 WHIP and 15.4% K-BB% for the year. His next start will come at home against Atlanta next Tuesday. He's faced the Braves three times this year, dominating them for a 1.65 ERA over three starts, allowing three earned runs on 19 hits and one walk while striking out 21 in 16 1/3 innings pitched.
Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore turned in a solid rebound start but came away with a no-decision in Monday's 9-7 extra-innings loss to the Mets. Gore pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing one run on five hits and a walk with eight strikeouts. The 25-year-old has yielded encouraging results this season, going 6-7 with a 3.47 ERA, a 10.62 K/9 rate, and a 2.88 BB9 rate in 17 starts and 90 2/3 IP. Gore has started showing more consistently why he was a former top fantasy prospect. He should have a chance for another solid outing in his next scheduled start against the Cardinals.
Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore tallied double-digit strikeouts for the second time this year in Wednesday's victory over the division-rival Atlanta Braves, allowing a lone run on six hits and one walk over 5 1/3 innings for his fourth win of 2024. It was a dominant outing from Gore, who shut down the vaunted Braves offense on Wednesday. Over his past four appearances, the 25-year-old former No. 3 overall pick owns a 2.19 ERA with a scintillating 30:5 K:BB for the Nationals. Gore lines up to get the ball next on Monday at home against the visiting New York Mets, a team he owns a 2.40 ERA and 15:8 K:BB over three starts against in his career. He's a must-roster fantasy player with the way he's throwing right now.
Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore dominated the Seattle Mariners in Friday's victory, throwing seven innings of one-run ball on four hits and one walk with eight strikeouts for his third win of the campaign. Make it three straight quality starts for Gore, who has given up greater than two runs just two times over his 10 starts in 2024. The 25-year-old former No. 3 overall pick sports a steady 3.04 ERA and 1.29 WHIP across 53 1/3 innings overall for the Nationals, fanning 62 batters and walking 17 this season. With that said, Gore might be better suited on fantasy benches against the vaunted Atlanta Braves lineup when his next scheduled start rolls around on Wednesday.
MacKenzie Gore
• SP
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Nationals
