Gore reflects on 'very frustrating end' to first half

NEW YORK -- MacKenzie Gore heads into the All-Star break with a definitive mindset for the second half of the season.

“I’m not pitching well,” Gore said. “I’ve got to be better.”

Gore made his final start in the first half of the season on Thursday in the Nationals’ 7-0 loss to the Mets at Citi Field. He allowed four runs off three hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings. Gore struck out four across 95 pitches (59 strikes).

“I thought he threw the ball really good,” manager Dave Martinez said. “The [fifth] inning, he got in trouble. But his pitch count got up there. The 0-0 counts, he fell behind a little bit and then they started fouling pitches off, it’s 2-2, 3-2. A lot of fouls, and the next thing you know he’s up there in the 90s in [four-plus] innings.”

With that, Gore is 6-8 with a 4.01 ERA in 19 starts. He has delivered 98 2/3 frames, held opponents to a .268 batting average and posted a 1.43 WHIP.

In comparison, at this point last season Gore had made 18 starts. He was 4-7 with a 4.42 ERA in 89 2/3 innings with the same opponents’ batting average and a 1.46 WHIP.

“Very frustrating end to it, but look, there was some good,” Gore, 25, said. “For as bad as this last month has been, it still is not as a whole terrible, but I’m capable of doing much better than what I just put together in the first half. We’ve still got starts left, a lot of baseball left, but it was a frustrating -- very frustrating -- first half at times.”

Gore’s last two starts will stick with him into the All-Star break. On Saturday, Gore exited after only 3 1/3 innings against the Cardinals, his second-shortest outing of the season. He gave up five runs off six hits and a season-high five walks while notching five strikeouts across 90 pitches.

“I get to sit on these last two for a while here,” Gore said. “And I’m sure I’m going to enjoy that.”

Gore ranks sixth in strikeouts per nine innings (10.58) and eighth in strikeouts (116) among National League pitchers.

His first half has fluctuated from completing seven innings twice (May 24 vs. Mariners and June 14 vs. Marlins) to completing less than five innings in each of his last two starts.

Gore has reached double digits in strikeouts three times (11 on April 13 at Oakland, 10 on May 29 at Atlanta and 10 on June 14 vs. Miami). He has recorded three strikeouts or fewer only three times (three on May 18 at Phillies, two on June 3 vs. Mets and one on June 25 at Padres).

Over the past 30 days spanning his last six starts, Gore ranks sixth in the NL in strikeouts (35) but also third in walks (15). On the season, he’s seventh highest in walks per nine innings (3.38) in the National League.

“His stuff is electric,” said Martinez. “He’s still learning. We’ve got to get him to understand, four pitches or less to each at-bat and he’s going to be just fine. We’ve got to figure out a way to get that putaway pitch. He gets deep in counts with guys and then he puts them away, but we’ve got to get him to get it done early.”

Gore, the 2017 Gatorade Male Athlete of the Year in high school and third overall pick in that year’s Draft, has high expectations for himself. He plans to achieve them in the second half.

“If I don’t clean up, we’re going to keep having these tough conversations,” Gore said. “Or, we can do what we were doing earlier in the year -- and do what we’re supposed to do.”