Jackson Kent has uneven major league debut as Nationals drop series to Cubs

Nothing about the Nationals’ Jackson Kent’s debut proved to be easy.

Kent, an Illinois native, faced his hometown team. The Cubs feast on left-handed pitching. Entering Wednesday, they had posted the highest on-base percentage (.357), slugging percentage (.449) and weighted runs created plus (124) against lefties in the major leagues.

Add in that the first inning saw Kent deal with runners on first and second with one out, and there were a lot of challenges. No pressure, Kent.

But the lefty didn’t seem overwhelmed. After a brief mound visit by pitching coach Simon Mathews, Kent regained his composure and struck out Carson Kelly and Michael Busch to end the inning.

A lot of pitching is about responding to adversity. Some players crumble after allowing a base hit or can’t execute with traffic on the bases.

But the good starters can carve out long major league careers. Kent showed both promise and warts in his debut Wednesday, a 12-6 loss to the Cubs at Nationals Park.

He allowed three runs on three hits, with six strikeouts and five walks. He pitched into the fifth but was pulled after allowing a single, a walk and an RBI double to Pete Crow-Armstrong.

Jake Bird entered the game and induced a lineout, but he gave up a three-run homer to Alex Bregman that allowed the Cubs to take a 4-1 lead.

The Nationals answered in the bottom of the inning with timely baserunning and clutch at-bats. But left-hander Tom Cosgrove struggled as the Cubs surged in front during a five-run sixth.

The bullpen allowed nine runs. Bregman recorded the first three-homer game of his career.

Kent got behind 1-0 on 15 of the 19 batters he faced. He struggled to be in the strike zone, which isn’t uncommon for younger pitchers. Andrew Alvarez had to be reminded incessantly by the coaching staff that his stuff was good enough for him to be more aggressive.

But striking out All-Star Crow-Armstrong was no small feat for Kent. His fearlessness from the minors translated to the majors. In the fourth, he allowed a leadoff single to Busch. But he induced a double play and struck out Tyrone Taylor to end the inning.

Kent leaned on his four-seamer (44%), slider (24%) and changeup (22%). He got the most swing and miss on the changeup.

Kent was the 31st starting pitcher originally signed or drafted by the Nationals (59-63) to start a game for the club since 2005, a paltry amount that shows the franchise’s inability to develop pitching. But the new regime under president of baseball operations Paul Toboni has restructured the pitching department.

Limiting walks, missing bats and forcing difficult swing decisions are organizational pillars for pitching development. The Nationals also place a heavy emphasis on helping pitchers add velocity.

Kent was an early adopter of their teachings. His buy-in helped spur his quick ascent throughout the minors as the added velocity on his fastball allowed his other pitches to play up.

The best franchises develop pitching. It’s what allows organizations such as the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays to be successful year after year.

The Nationals have seen gains with their hitting development. Now Kent is their first pitcher to reach the majors.