A positive first half of the 2023 campaign for MacKenzie Gore ended on something of a down note, with the left-hander struggling in a 2 2⁄3-inning, six-hit, three-walk, and seven-run start against Philadelphia, and the next time out it was a 1 1⁄3-inning, rain-shortened outing against Cincinnati which robbed him of an opportunity to bounce back going into the Break.
With Gore’s injury issues in 2022 (left elbow), Washington’s manager Davey Martinez was not going to take any chances with their 24-year-old southpaw going back to the mound after an hour-and-a-half delay.