DJ Herz Strikes Out Eight, But Nationals Can’t Blow Away Cardinals

Herz struck out eight batters in five innings and came close to winning after James Wood tripled and former Cardinal Juan Yepez drove in a sacrifice fly to break a 2-2 tie in the sixth. But the Cardinals responded with a run in the seventh before Paul Goldschmidt hit a walk-off homer off Dylan Floro, who hadn’t allowed a home run since September, in the ninth.

“A hitter like Goldschmidt, I’ve faced him a couple of times,” said Floro, whose 2-2 sinker got too much of a plate appearance. “He knows, he has an idea, and if I don’t execute a pitch, that’s what’s going to happen.”

Floro entered in the seventh inning but threw only 10 pitches for the ninth, so manager Dave Martinez retained him instead of going with closer Kyle Finnegan. The loss prevented the Nationals (49-57) from beating the Cardinals (54-51), but they still won the series after being blown out at home by San Diego. And they got a strong performance from their rookie left-hander, who has allowed two runs in each of his two outings since the All-Star break.

“(Herz) didn’t rely on his off-speed stuff,” Martinez said. “He got ahead and stuck with the fastball, which was good. Our (scouting) reports were to try to get the ball to some of these guys, and he did a great job, especially those lefties. … He was very, very effective.”

In the first inning, Herz allowed a second-deck solo homer to Willson Contreras. Pedro Pagés followed with an RBI triple in the second to extend the Cardinals’ lead to 2-0. The Nationals answered in the third when C.J. Abrams hit an RBI groundout before Lane Thomas doubled down the left-field line to tie the score. By then, Herz was noticing that his fastball had extra life.

“I could feel it coming out of my hand. I could see it,” he said. “… I told (catcher Riley Adams), and then we just kind of drove it. Pretty much most of the fastball, and if we had to flip an off-speed or change-up, we did.”

On Sunday, Herz had whiffed on 32.1 percent of the swings of his fastball, a very strong number. But he was better than usual on Sunday: of the 79 pitches Herz threw, 49 were fastballs. The Cardinals swung on 27 of the fastballs and whiffed on 15. Six of his strikeouts came on pitches.

Herz seemed to improve as his outing progressed — he struck out the side in the third and fifth innings, retiring 10 of the last 11 batters he faced. His changeup — typically his best pitch — and slider were also effective. He closed his outing by striking out Masyn Winn with a slider.

The Nationals pulled Herz before the All-Star break to get some help in the bullpen — and to give him some breathing room. He threw 111⅓ innings last season, including a stint in the Arizona Fall League. After Sunday, he’s up to 80⅔ this season.

As the Nationals approach the final stretch, Martinez has reiterated that his team will be careful with its young pitchers while also pushing them to pitch all year. He has hinted at a six-man rotation. He said he will limit Herz to 80 pitches (or five innings) as he rebuilds him after the All-Star break. But Herz will get every opportunity to prove he’s worthy of being in the rotation after this season.

“I’m moving forward. I’m attacking. I’m efficient,” he said. “That’s all I want to see for myself, and those are their main goals for me.”

On Sunday morning, the Nationals announced the acquisition of right-hander Tyler Stuart from the New York Mets for outfielder Jesse Winker. Stuart, 24, has spent this season with the Mets’ Class AA affiliate and has a 3.96 ERA in 17 starts.

The Mets selected him in the sixth round of the 2022 draft out of Southern Mississippi, where he was primarily a reliever. As a pro, he has made 41 appearances — 40 as a starter — with a 3.09 ERA. Stuart, who is 6-foot-9, uses a fastball, slider, change-up and cutter. His slider is considered his best pitch.