By the sixth inning, DJ Herz had mastered his strikeout strut. He had done it 10 times coming into the infield, and with each subsequent hit, his stalking around the mound became a little more pronounced.
So when he struck out Vidal Bruján with a changeup for the first out of the inning, he jumped before sliding to the third base side. And when he bent Christian Bethancourt’s knees in the next at-bat, Herz moved quickly toward third base as his arms swung at his sides.
His final batter in the Nationals’ 4-0 victory over the Miami Marlins was veteran Tim Anderson, who had already fanned twice. Herz took a 0-2 lead and Anderson called time out in an attempt to disrupt Herz’s rhythm. Nothing else worked up to that point, so maybe a few extra seconds could rattle the 22-year-old rookie.
No possibility. Two pitches later, Herz launched a 93 mph fastball from Anderson for his 13th and final strikeout on Saturday afternoon. And when Anderson came across the field, Herz showed more than just strutting. This time, he turned his back to the home dugout, backed up and extended his hands before waving his glove.
“This outing I wanted to control my body language a little more, be a little better at it,” Herz said. “The first five innings were perfect. And then I got the last strike and I felt like it was over. And I just let my emotions fly a little bit.”
Before his start, Herz said he had a conversation with Jake Irvin about his desire to be emotionless on the mound. “I just wanted to go out and be a cold-blooded killer.”
Mission accomplished. The only blemish in his six innings was a Jake Burger single off Trey Lipscomb to start the fifth inning. The Nationals (34-36) have won seven of eight and will look to sweep the series on Sunday.
Manager Dave Martinez pulled Herz after the sixth. The numbers: one hit, 13 strikeouts, 84 pitches, 57 strikes. And perhaps most importantly for Herz: no walks.
“He and (receiver Drew) Millas worked very well and very quickly,” Martínez said. “And they got into that rhythm and he was feeling it.”
In a Nationals season that will be defined by the growth of the team’s young starters, Herz could be the surprise of the group. The team knew Josiah Gray, MacKenzie Gore and Jake Irvin would contribute to the big leagues this season, and Mitchell Parker has been a welcome addition. But Herz, a 6-foot-2 lefty acquired from the Cubs at the trade deadline last season in the Jeimer Candelario deal, is off to one of the best starts in the majors this season.
According to OptaStats, his 68.4 strikeout percentage (13 of 19 batters faced) was the second-highest by an MLB rookie in the modern era with a minimum of 15 batters faced, trailing only the Cubs’ Kerry Wood. in his 20-strikeout game in 1998. His strikeout total was the most by a Nationals pitcher since Max Scherzer fanned 14 in May 2021.
“Everything worked tonight, so we couldn’t go wrong,” Millas said.
One more fact from the beginning that has local appeal: Herz became one of two MLB pitchers with a start of at least 13 strikeouts and no walks in one of his first three starts since 1901; the other was Stephen Strasburg in his debut on June 8. 2010. Pretty good company, especially for a guy who failed to get out of the fifth inning in each of his first two starts. He was on a pitching limit in his major league debut. And in the second, it took him 87 pitches to complete 4⅓ innings.
Herz was unable to consistently throw his best pitch, his changeup, in the zone in his first two outings. But he told pitching strategist Sean Doolittle that he felt different coming into this start.
This time, Herz was efficient through the first four innings while racking up strikeouts. He struck out four and threw just 24 pitches in the first two innings. In the third, Herz struck out everyone and followed with one more in the fourth. He retired the first 12 Marlins before Burger’s single.
“The game didn’t speed up. That was probably the most calm and relaxed I was,” Herz said. “It’s about, at least for me, feeling comfortable. “This may take a little time, but it’s starting to come now.”
The Nationals offense took a 1-0 lead in the first when Lane Thomas doubled, Jesse Winker, who came out in the third inning and will undergo an MRI on his right knee, singled and Joey Meneses hit a sacrifice fly. Thomas hit his second home run in as many days in the third inning to extend the Nationals’ lead. Meneses added a two-run blast in the eighth.
Meanwhile, Herz induced 21 strikeouts in 45 swings, including 13 with four-seam fastballs. The Marlins threw fastballs right up the middle. They watched the changeups paint the corners for called strikes and shook their heads. They pursued him on the ground. And as each Marlins batter returned to the dugout, Herz continued to strut.
“I mean, it still doesn’t seem real,” Herz said. “I am super blessed. That was probably the best game I’ve ever released. And doing it at this level is a great feeling.”
Grades: The Nationals announced they have agreed to terms on a minor league contract with outfielder Harold Ramirez, who will report to Class AAA Rochester. Ramirez, 29, is a six-year major league veteran who was designated for assignment by the Tampa Bay Rays last week. He also played for the Miami Marlins and the Cleveland Guardians. Ramirez hit .313 with 12 home runs and an .813 OPS a season ago, but hasn’t produced the same success this season; He is batting .268 with a .589 OPS and only four of his hits have been extra-base hits. . . .
Cade Cavalli threw two innings and about 45 pitches in a live bullpen session Saturday afternoon, facing Trey Lipscomb and Nasim Nuñez. Cavalli said his arm felt good as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.
Keynote USA
For the Latest Sports News, Follow Keynote USA Sports on Twitter.