He left with a two-run lead than was erased in the eighth inning. Gore allowed five hits, walked none and struck out six in the 89-pitch outing. Maybe the Nationals would have let him go back out for the seventh at 80-85 pitches, but 89 was apparently a few too many. He remains 3-5 with a 2.88 ERA and a league-high 114 strikeouts, and he’s due to face the Marlins at home on Sunday.

It’s his first win since Apr. 19, though he deserves at least three or four more. Gore has pitched 13 scoreless innings in his last two appearances, taking his ERA from 3.47 to 2.87, and he’s the major league leader with 108 strikeouts this season. That he faded after nice starts in both 2023 and 2024 if of some concern, but neither of those early runs were quite as impressive as what he’s doing now. He’ll face the Mets next week.

Gore had been hit by a comebacker in his leg earlier in the game. Martinez noted that the team wasn’t overly concerned about the injury, and it sounds like the 26-year-old southpaw should be good to make his next start. Fantasy managers should monitor his status over the next couple of days just to make sure that he gets through his side work without issue, but it sounds like there’s nothing to worry about here.