Washington Nationals’ Josiah Gray with one to forget in 6-3 loss to Miami Marlins...

Gray vs Miami:

Josiah Gray threw 94 pitches in seven innings, picked up nine strikeouts, 17 swinging strikes on the night, eight with his slider and seven with his curve, in a secondary-stuff-heavy, solid outing against the Rangers on the road in Texas last time out before tonight.

“Clearly the breaking balls were working for him again, they were good ones,” his manager, Davey Martinez, said after Gray threw 33% sliders, 33% curves, 29% four-seam fastballs, and 5% changeups in Arlington.

“He threw his fastball when he needed to,” the manager added, “... but his out-pitches were the breaking balls today. So, and he was in the zone. When he’s in the zone with those breaking balls it’s really good. He did exactly what he needed to do today, and like I said, he pitched outstanding.”

“He was pitching,” veteran Nelson Cruz added, “you know, that’s the beauty of pitching. He was feeling the breaking ball was the one that was working, and he was throwing whatever he was feeling in that situation.”

Overall this season, Gray has thrown 43.2% fastballs, 28.9% sliders, 24.5% curveballs, and 3.5% changeups.

Last time out against Miami, he was 33% four-seamers, 32% sliders, 28% curves, and 8% changeups.

This time?

Gray was fastball-heavy early (41%) in the first two-plus innings, but one heater got hit out of the yard by Brian Anderson who sent a 94 MPH 2-1 fastball 384 feet to left field, for a leadoff homer, and a 1-0 Marlins’ lead in the top of the third.

Two outs later, Gray walked Jon Berti, issuing his first free pass, and Berti stole second, and scored on a two-out single by Joey Wendle, 2-0, then a 3-0 lead on an RBI double to left by Garrett Cooper.

Miguel Rojas doubled to left on a first-pitch slider from Gray in the top of the fifth, and stole third base one out later, and scored on lineout to right by Jon Berti, 4-1 Fish.

Avisaíl García, Jesús Sánchez, and Brian Anderson hit back-to-back-to-back singles to start the top of the sixth, with Anderson’s driving in the Marlins’ 5th run. Miguel Rojas singled as well, loading the bases with no one out and Gray up to 84 pitches. Jacob Stalling hit a pop fly to second for out No. 1, but the sixth run for the Fish scored on a force at second on the next ball put in play, a grounder to second by on Berti, 6-1. A walk to Joey Wendle ended it for Gray...

FWIW, given the results, Gray threw 37% four-seam fastballs, 32% sliders, 27% curves, and 4% changeups this time out...

Josiah Gray’s Line: 5.2 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 6 Ks, 1 HR, 95 P, 62 S, 3/5 GO/FO.

Rogers, Trevor Rogers:

Trevor Rogers held the Nationals to a run on two hits in six innings of work in Nationals Park back on April 28th, and two runs on six hits in five innings at home in Miami on June 9th.

“All the pitches were working. [Catcher Payton] Henry and I had a great plan back there,” Rogers told reporters, as quoted by Byron Kerr on MLB.com, after his April outing.

“Just mixing all day. He did a fantastic job. Once I settled in, I was really just trying to make pitches and it worked out for me.”

Start No. 3 against the Marlins’ NL East rivals this season began with two scoreless on 25 pitches, and Rogers took the mound in the third with a 3-0 lead and retired the side on a total of 10 pitches, but the Nationals rallied in the fourth, with Juan Soto walking to start Washington’s fourth, moving up on a Josh Bell single, and scoring on a double play off of Nelson Cruz’s bat, 3-1 Fish after four.

It was 4-1 when Rogers came out in the fifth, and issued one and two-out walks, to César Hernández and Ehire Adrianza, respectively, which drew the Marlins’ pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre, Jr. out for a chat, after which he struck Lane Thomas out on a sweeping, 2-2 slider, ending the inning at 76 pitches overall.

Trevor Rogers’ Line: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 Ks, 76 P, 49 S, 5/0 GO/FO.

Bullpen Action:

Erasmo Ramírez, with help from another back-pick at first by Keibert Ruiz and Josh Bell, got the Nationals out of the top of the sixth, with the Marlins ahead, 6-1.

Dylan Floro gave up a leadoff double by Juan Soto in the Nationals’ half of the sixth, and two outs later, Keibert Ruiz hit a hanging, first-pitch fastball from the Marlins’ starter 396 feet out to right for a two-run shot, his 3rd of the season, 6-3 Fish.

Ramírez gave up a leadoff double by Garrett Cooper and a two-out walk to Jesús Sánchez in the top of the seventh, but he struck Brian Anderson out to strand both runners to get on.

Anthony Bass was next out of the pen for the Marlins, and he worked around a one-out hit in a scoreless frame.

Reed Garrett worked around an error for a scoreless eighth for the Nationals.

Marlins’ reliever Steven Okert retired the Nationals in order in the bottom of the inning.

Mason Thompson, who got reinstated from the IL today, worked around a one-out hit in an 18-pitch, 14-strike top of the ninth.

Tanner Scott got the bottom of the ninth for the Marlins, and retired the Nats in order to end it.

Nationals now 29-50