Knowing the club was going to have to send someone out there in MacKenzie Gore’s spot in the starting rotation, with the lefty on the 15-Day IL dealing with blisters on his left hand, the Nationals weren’t giving anything away in the lead-up to this evening’s matching against the Pittsburgh Pirates in PNC Park, with manager Davey Martinez declining to bite when asked if the decision was made in advance of what would have been Gore’s next turn.
Before the series finale with the LA Dodgers in Nationals Park on Sunday, a reporter noted that Washington’s 24-year-old, 2019 1st Round pick Jackson Rutledge’s scheduled start on Friday didn’t happen because he’d been scratched without explanation.