Gore can't match Sale in rematch as Nats lose to Braves (updated)

ATLANTA – It is usually meaningless to try to compare two opposing starting pitchers. With the universal designated hitter, they don’t face each other in the batter’s box anymore. And opposing lineups are constructed differently with different approaches.

But after the level of pitching MacKenzie Gore and Chris Sale put on display in the nightcap of Tuesday’s doubleheader at Nationals Park – 13 ⅓ scoreless innings with 14 strikeouts between the left-handers – it was hard not to make comparisons between the two ahead of tonight’s rematch.

Unfortunately for Gore, there weren’t too many comparisons to be made between him and the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner after this 11-5 loss to open the Nats’ final road series of the 2025 season.

Gore lasted only two-plus innings tonight as the Braves drove up his pitch count by fouling balls off and drawing walks.

“He fell behind," interim manager Miguel Cairo said. "They take good pitches. And they fouled off a lot of pitches, so the pitch count went a little too high. And hey, they were able to lay off his good pitches. But they battled against him today."

After getting 13 swings-and-misses against this Atlanta lineup last week, Gore struggled to miss bats and induce weak contact. He only got eight whiffs and saw Braves hitters foul off a staggering 24 pitches while also drawing four walks.

“I think it was just this one was more about I didn't make pitches to end at-bats," Gore said "I thought we put ourselves in some decent counts for the most part. But I just didn't end at-bats and I didn't throw the ball well.”

The only damage done in the first inning was Ronald Acuña Jr.’s game-tying home run on an elevated 1-2 fastball with two outs. But Gore needed 23 pitches to complete the first frame, setting himself up for a short night from the get-go.

The second inning was even more damaging. Although Gore got a double play after a leadoff single and walk to start, he gave up a go-ahead RBI double to Michael Harris II that Dylan Crews made a bad read on in right field. And then after issuing two more walks before finally ending the inning, the young lefty had thrown 27 pitches in the second to bring his total already up to 60.

Gore then again let the first two batters reach before recording an out in the third to bring his pitch count up to 71 and bring Cairo out of the dugout to make a pitching change. (Cairo would soon follow his starter into the clubhouse after he was ejected by first base umpire Manny Gonzalez for arguing Ha-Seong Kim's check swing against Jackson Rutledge, which would have been strike three but was instead ball four.)

Rutledge would fare no better in relief. The big right-hander walked his first batter, gave up three straight singles and allowed a stolen base to give the Braves a 6-1 lead. And after hitting Jurickson Profar, acting manager Henry Blanco brought in Konnor Pilkington.

Rutledge only got one out on 33 pitches, which was five more than Sale had thrown in his first three innings. And that closed the book on Gore’s final line, with four hits, four runs, four walks and three strikeouts on 71 pitches over two innings plus two batters.

After bringing his ERA down to 4.00 for the first time since the end of July in last week’s start, Gore now owns a 4.17 ERA with only one start left in the season.

"I don't know if it was much different," Gore said of how the Braves' approach against him tonight was different from last week. "I just think I didn't execute as well as I did the last time. It's just kind of what happened.”

And while the Nationals pitchers melted down on the mound, the batters continued to struggle against Sale until it was too late.

Sale cruised through his first four innings on just 43 pitches, way less than Gore, Rutledge and Pinkington combined to throw in the third inning alone. He had five strikeouts with only two hits and a hit-batter charged to his line.

But those two hits were solo home runs from unexpected sluggers.

Nasim Nuñez, who started his third straight game and recorded one of the three hits against Sale last week, stepped into the batter’s box and began the game by sending the Atlanta All-Star’s first pitch the opposite way for a leadoff home run.

“I was honestly just trying to compete and get a good pitch to hit," he said. "I was really looking for the fastball.

"One thing that was like, once I get the fastball, I was assuming off-speed was coming. So I kind of prepared myself for that. That was really it. I've been seeing Chris well for a little while now.”

Nuñez now has more home runs in his last 12 games (four) than James Wood has in his last 60 games (three), dating back to before the All-Star break. Wood, who did not start against Sale for the second straight time, hit his 24th homer of the year in his 92nd game on July 9 in St. Louis. He has only hit three since.

Crews then launched his 10th homer of the season in the fourth to make it a 7-2 Braves lead. He got a fastball up from Sale and didn't miss.

The Nats were finally able to chase Sale out of the game with an extended fifth inning. They loaded the bases against the southpaw with two walks and a hit-batter. And then Andrés Chaparro cleared them by winning a six-pitch battle with a three-run single down the left field line.

“It's a cat-and-mouse game. It always is," Jacob Young said about facing Sale twice in one week. "A guy like that, he doesn't have to change up much, usually, to keep guys off balance. So it's just trying to watch the game from the dugout and see what he's doing to the guys before you. What's working, what pitch does he have today and maybe what pitch he doesn't. If you can eliminate a pitch even against a guy like that, it gives you a better chance for sure. So just watching the game and trying to see what he has and doesn't have.”

Suddenly and shockingly, the Nats were within only three runs of the Braves with four innings to go. And with Sale exiting the game after nearly doubling his pitch count in the fifth, they had a shot to rally against Atlanta’s bullpen. Of course, they also had to keep the Braves from scoring more runs, which they couldn’t.

PJ Poulin was charged with three runs in the sixth to put this one out of reach for good and put a stamp on a terrible pitching night for the Nats. Six hurlers combined to give up 14 hits, issue nine walks and hit two batters.

“When you win games and you're in every game, you're gonna use your bullpen a lot," Cairo said. "And they've been like warriors. Every time that you ask them to pitch, they come and they give you a good outing. They've been pitching with their heart. They know what is at stake. They know that they got a chance to show that they can pitch in the big leagues. And a lot of them, they can do it.”

But the focal point should be how Gore can’t quite keep up with Sale consistently yet. With one start left in his 2025 campaign, the question will be how can he fully tap into his ace potential and get more Sale-like results in 2026?

“You just want to finish strong," Gore said. "I've been pretty disappointing the last, whatever it is, couple of months. But just finish strong and just get ready for the next one.”