WASHINGTON -- There was one pitch that Josiah Gray would have liked to have back. And then there were 97 others.

Gray nearly reached the century mark in his fourth start of the season, the series opener against the Marlins on Tuesday. He tossed 5 2/3 innings and tied a career-high 10 strikeouts while allowing four runs on seven hits (including a homer to Joey Wendle) and three walks in a 5-2 loss at Nationals Park.

“Everything was sharp today,” manager Dave Martinez said. “I want him to look back on this and build on it. He threw the ball really well. He got up to 98 pitches -- which is [his] most this year -- with ease. We watched him, he wasn’t laboring. He was at 94 [mph] when we took him out.”

Gray entered the game on an extra two days of rest after he pitched in a doubleheader vs. the D-backs on April 19. Fellow right-hander Joan Adon, who started in Game 2 of the split contests, started on Sunday. Other than getting off the mound on Saturday, Gray tried to keep his routine the same.

Martinez was looking for the righty to stay in the strike zone, attack with putaway pitches when ahead in the count and focus more on location than perfection.

Gray threw 66 of his 98 pitches for strikes. He collaborated with catcher Keibert Ruiz to deliver 36 percent four-seam fastballs, 31 percent sliders, 30 percent curveballs and four percent changeups. Gray yielded nine whiffs with his curveball, and he noted that both of his breaking balls were the best they have felt this season.

“I thought I was sharp for the most part,” Gray said. “I think two out of the three walks ended up scoring, so being able to limit those guys scoring and advancing is obviously something I need to work on. But other than that, I thought one bad pitch to Wendle there -- I’ve got to get that slider down. But for the most part, I thought I was in command of the game, in command of my fastball, my breaking balls, and definitely a lot of positives.”

The slider to Wendle that Gray referenced was belted a Statcast-projected 410 feet into center field and put the Marlins on the board with a three-run lead in the fourth inning. It was Gray’s third dinger allowed in four starts.

"Really good curveball tonight from him, and it’s pretty much all I saw that first at-bat,” Wendle said. “I was thinking, especially with runners in scoring position, I would get one. Thankfully, [I] got one up in the zone that I was able to handle. He made a mistake, and I was able to hit it."

From his first outing of the season on April 8, when he allowed four runs in four innings off 80 pitches to the Mets, to Tuesday night, Gray has seen progress in his game planning and his ability to get through lineups two and three times.

“These hitters are going to continue to get looks off me, and [I'll] just continue to find ways to get them out,” Gray said. “I feel like I’m in a really good spot with some good outings, and I’m looking forward to the next one.”

Martinez called on Austin Voth to finish the sixth and then Víctor Arano, Andres Machado and Erasmo Ramírez for one inning apiece. That’s important, as each relief appearance is valuable in a taxed bullpen.

“For me, [Gray’s] definitely heading in the right direction,” Martinez said. “He’s got great stuff. Now, if he puts that all together and uses it the way he did today, he’s going to consistently give us the innings that we need and get out of some big innings.”