Patrick Corbin threw 85 pitches (48 for strikes) in three innings on Opening Day, giving up seven hits, three walks, and four runs, two of them earned, in a 7-2 loss to Atlanta.
It was not exactly what the southpaw or his manager were hoping for as Corbin tries to bounce back following three straight rough seasons in Washington’s rotation.
“He’s got to pound the strike zone,” Nationals’ skipper Davey Martinez said after the season opener last week. “We talked about that, he did a good job of that in spring. He fell behind.
“He had a lot of pitches in three innings, so, but he’s 3-2, 3-2, unfortunate breaks with some of the hits they got early, but still and all he’s got to attack the strike zone.