SAN DIEGO – Six games into his Major League career, Jackson Kent (Nationals’ No. 9 prospect) is still learning the ropes as a starting pitcher.
“I think right when you get to the big leagues, that’s when you really start learning,” the rookie Kent said after the Nationals’ 9-2 loss to the Padres. “Learning who you are, learning how to get guys out. Every outing, they’re going to adjust to me and I have to make adjustments to them.”
Kent exited the mound at Petco Park after just three innings (plus two batters) on Wednesday in his shortest big league outing. He allowed five runs off eight hits, walked one batter and struck out two as his pitch count rose to 72.
The 23-year-old left-hander tied a career high in runs and hits allowed (Aug. 18 at Rangers, 3 2/3 innings).
“I think I did a pretty good job of getting the first-pitch strike, and then I kind of played around a little bit after that,” said Kent, noting that he didn’t stay in the zone after getting into an 0-1 count. “[I would have liked to] attack guys the entire time.”
Kent kept the Padres off the board early. He retired the top of the order (Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts and Manny Machado) in the first inning. In the second, he stranded runners on first and second with a strikeout against Samad Taylor.
The Nationals held a 2-0 lead with two outs in the third inning. Kent was one strike away from getting out of the frame, when the next pitch to Ty France was called a ball after a check swing.
France then hit an RBI single, and Jackson Merrill crushed a go-ahead two-run triple in the next at-bat. Manager Blake Butera was ejected after that for arguing the attempt from France.
Kent remained in the game for the fourth. He faced two batters and allowed one run on a throwing error to first base before he was replaced by Brad Lord.
“I thought the first two innings were good, obviously the next couple were not,” said Butera. “He just struggled to put guys away. I think the strike three to France, he wasn’t able to bounce back after that.”
Kent is 1-4 with a 6.59 ERA in 27 1/3 frames in the Majors. His best start to date was on Aug. 28, when he earned his first career win and held the Marlins to one run off three hits in seven innings.
Kent was called up for his Major League debut on Aug. 12 after going 9-4 with a 3.72 ERA with Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester this season. At the time, he led the Nationals’ farm system in opponents’ batting average (.216) and on-base percentage (.277).
“I’d love to see him bounce back,” Butera said. “[I’d] love to see him get outs early in counts — whether that’s soft contact or whether that’s striking guys out early and finishing at-bats earlier. That’s the biggest thing.”