Nationals’ Jackson Kent makes strides in third major league start: ‘I think it’s only up from here’

MIAMI — The end of the Nationals’ season should be dedicated to figuring out who should have a spot on the 2027 roster.

The rotation, in particular, is in flux after Cade Cavalli and Connelly Early. Promising lefty Jackson Kent could fill one spot. Kent opened eyes this season with a velocity uptick that translated into higher strikeout totals. With pinpoint command and an impressive pitch arsenal, he succeeded in the minors, posting a 3.72 ERA across Double- and Triple-A.

After a mixed performance over his first two starts, all eyes were on Kent against the Marlins on Sunday. Well, the 23-year-old resembled the strike-throwing, aggressive pitcher he was in the minors. Kent threw 4 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on four hits with five strikeouts and three walks, in the Nationals’ 6-2 loss.

The Nationals wanted Kent to get through the fifth inning, but they saw him faltering a bit after allowing a two-out walk followed by a single to Agustín Ramirez.

“It was definitely better than the the first two,” Kent said. “I would think, yeah, it was just competing more and getting in the zone better.”

Kent threw strikes and got ahead of hitters — 70% of his first pitches were strikes, and he had a 66% strike rate. He also induced more swing and miss than he did in his prior start, putting the team in a position to win. The young lefty also got some help from his defense. Sunday’s loss also showed how thin the margins are for the Nationals at the moment.

Washington loaded the bases with two outs in the fourth, but a slumping Abimelec Ortiz struck out to end the inning with the score tied 1-1. In the fifth, All-Star Xavier Edwards put the Marlins up with a two-run, two-out single. It was a missed opportunity followed by an inability to shut the door for the Nationals.

“We didn’t get the big hit,” manager Blake Butera said. “I don’t want to say it was a lack of effort or anything like that. We just couldn’t get the big hit. But credit to the rest of the group for getting in scoring position and giving us opportunities to hit in those spots.”

The Nationals’ next scoring chance came in the eighth inning. With runners on first and second, José Tena got called out on strikes and Jorbit Vivas grounded out to end the inning.

But Kent showed signs of progression. He limited hard contact and didn’t have much traffic on the bases.

But he also impressed with his ability to navigate traffic. In the first, he walked Ramirez, who later scored on a double by Heriberto Hernández after Kent threw him an 0-2 fastball near the heart of the strike zone.

Kent righted the ship. He induced a groundout by Edwards and got Esteury Ruiz on a called third strike to end the inning. After allowing a one-out single to Deyvison De Los Santos in the second, Kent recorded back-to-back strikeouts.

The defense was strong behind him, especially center fielder Jacob Young, who robbed Hernández of a home run and turned it into a double play after Otto Lopez was ruled out at first base.

“It was unbelievable,” Kent said of Young’s grab. “He can make every catch. I’m not worried whenever a ball goes over there. I’m like, ‘He’s gonna make it.’”

Young was similarly impressed with Kent’s outing, calling it his best start. He was struck by Kent’s command and proud of the way he competed.

“He has really good stuff, and I think it’s only up from here,” Young said.

But the outcome was familiar for the Nationals as they were swept in Miami. Without All-Stars James Wood and CJ Abrams, the offense has sputtered. The Nationals (61-71) scored just 18 runs during their nine-game road trip, in which they finished with a 1-8 record.

Washington has lost 15 of 17.

In a bit of a role reversal, the Nationals’ pitching unit performed better than the lineup on the road trip after the offense has shouldered the load for much of the season.

“We’ve been a great road team a lot of the year, and we just didn’t get the hits when we needed them,” Young said. “I thought the pitching actually pitched really well this whole road trip. As an offense, we just weren’t able to score as many runs as we needed to.”

Butera said he wants the group to let the losing feeling sink in as the Nationals deal with another test. Flushing a nine-game road trip wouldn’t be an option. But change needs to happen quickly ahead of a 10-game homestand.

“I know it’s hurting right now with how quiet it is,” Butera said. “I told them we got to turn the page starting tomorrow.”

Resilience has been a trademark of this team all season. Whether it was giving up an eight-run lead and losing on a walk-off grand slam against the Giants or the ninth-inning debacles in their June series against the Phillies, the Nationals have responded to adversity.

Young said that putting this disastrous road trip behind them is “the only option.” The explosive offense led the charge in the first half, allowing the Nationals to play meaningful games deep into the summer for the first time since 2019. But the season is quickly slipping away.

“We’ve had some tough stretches before, and we bounced right back,” Young said. “We got 30-something games left, and we got to finish strong. We can’t start accepting [losing] as this is how it’s going to be.”

This article has been updated.