WASHINGTON — Lance Lynn’s successful strategy from his last two outings, where he relied heavily on his four-seam fastball to secure early strikes, backfired on a scorching Saturday he would rather forget. Just six days after consistently starting off 16 batters with first-pitch strikes, CJ Abrams of the Nationals crushed the first pitch of the game for a 415-foot home run, as calculated by Statcast. Shortly after, Keibert Ruiz added to the onslaught with a three-run homer on Lynn’s initial delivery, setting the tone for a difficult day.
These quick strikes hinted at the challenges Lynn would face on a sweltering 97-degree day. The 37-year-old veteran endured his worst career performance, conceding a career-high 10 earned runs in a 14-6 defeat against the Nationals at Nationals Park.
“In this game, no one sympathizes when you have a tough outing, and today was probably the worst of my career,” said Lynn, a seasoned MLB pitcher with 335 starts under his belt. “It certainly feels that way, so I need to improve. … I wouldn’t have lasted this long if I couldn’t move past rough outings.”
The Cardinals suffered a one-sided defeat just hours after their dramatic comeback win, rallying from a five-run deficit to claim victory in 11 innings on Friday night. On Saturday, they found themselves trailing 9-0 before their third turn at bat. Despite closing the gap to 9-4 and loading the bases with slugger Nolan Gorman at the plate in the third inning, they couldn’t capitalize as Gorman struck out.
Gorman, who has been grappling with high strikeout rates recently, stood out with two doubles and three hits in five plate appearances. He was left out of the starting lineup on Friday to focus on adjusting his approach, and responded with two hits and two RBIs in that game before adding three more hits in Saturday’s loss.
“Nolan had a really good day today,” commented Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol. “He’s been putting in a lot of work during practice sessions to translate that into game situations. His adjustments are showing; his timing was better and he’s staying on the ball more effectively. That double to center was particularly solid. He’s committed to continuing his progress, and today was a step in the right direction.”
Lynn’s sudden struggles were unexpected given his recent dominant performances against the Braves and Reds. In those outings, he allowed just six hits and one earned run across 12 2/3 innings pitched.
Turning a corner in his season two weeks ago, Lynn found success by relying more on his four-seam fastball, a pitch that had been rated among the most effective in MLB this year with a run value of 14 (tied with Cade Smith and Cole Ragans), according to Baseball Savant. Over his last two starts, Lynn significantly increased his usage of the four-seam fastball, throwing it 68.9% of the time compared to only 42.1% in his first 15 starts. In his most recent start against the Reds, Lynn set a season-high by using the four-seamer 75.9% of the time, holding the Reds to just two hits over six shutout innings.
Against the Nationals on Saturday, it was evident they were targeting Lynn’s first-pitch strikes and four-seam fastballs. CJ Abrams launched a four-seam fastball for his sixth career leadoff home run. Additionally, Keibert Ruiz connected on a first-pitch sinker for a home run, while rookie James Wood hit a four-seam fastball for his first MLB home run in the second inning.
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