Klaw
Gore is on the injured list and is probably done for 2022, which is a shame given how far he’d come and how well he pitched to start this season. After about two years of mechanical trouble that led to a lot of wildness and some decline in the quality of his curveball, Gore streamlined his delivery to try to reduce how far down he’d drop his pitching hand in back, with a shorter arm action now that he can repeat far more easily, resulting in more and better strikes. After his June 4 start, his ninth appearance of the season, Gore had a 1.50 ERA (and 2.20 FIP), with a 30 percent strikeout rate and 9 percent walk rate, while sitting 94-96 mph with a four-pitch mix, including a curve and changeup that were above-average offerings. I don’t know exactly when his elbow started bothering him, but his velocity started to dip in that start, gradually declining until it bottomed out in his final outing on July 24, after which he hit the injured list. His results in the last seven outings of his season were atrocious, with an 11.05 ERA, more walks than strikeouts, and six homers allowed in 22 innings. I am more than willing to bet that he was pitching hurt, or at least with discomfort, in that period given the decline in stuff and performance – and I’m sure the Nats are thinking the same thing.