Nationals MacKenzie Gore finally looks like an ace, but can he keep it up?

It has been a long road and there is more to prove, but MacKenzie Gore delivered like only an ace could last night

As he has done plenty of times before, MacKenzie Gore dominated through five innings. He was carving through Mariners hitters, getting plenty of swings and misses, as well as more soft contact than usual which was nice to see. However, it was not those five innings that made me think Gore had turned a corner. It was the sixth inning where he worked his way out of trouble that made me believe.

In his big league career, MacKenzie Gore has struggled when things weren’t going his way. He could cruise through big chunks of games, but when the going got tough, Gore was unable to stop the big inning.

After he put on the first two batters in the sixth inning, it felt like deja vu. Gore could get the job done early, but when the rubber met the road, he faded. However, this was a different MacKenzie Gore, a matured MacKenzie Gore. He buckled down and made some massive pitches against the heart of the Mariners lineup.

Yes, Gore got some help on an egregiously bad strike three call on JP Crawford that saw the Mariners shortstop get ejected. However, Gore was already way ahead in the count, so I am confident he would have gotten Crawford out anyway.

Next up was Julio Rodriguez, the face of the Mariners franchise. After falling behind 1-0, Gore executed three straight pitches perfectly. He located two straight fastballs up in the zone, then threw a beautiful cutter that ran in on Rodriguez, getting the swing and miss.

After hitting Cal Raleigh, the bases were loaded and the stage was set for a matchup with Randy Arozarena. After falling behind 2-0, I worried all of Gore’s hard work would be wasted. However, Gore settled down and played some country hard ball. He got Arozarena to swing and miss at three straight fastballs. After the last one, Gore let out a big roar, knowing he had conquered his demons and delivered an outing befitting of an ace.

This looked like a Max Scherzer start from the past, maybe without the solo home run Mad Max always loved to give up. Gore brought the intensity, the swing and miss stuff and the resilience to the table.

These next couple months are massive for MacKenzie Gore and his development though. He has had great April’s and May’s before. However, those have been derailed by disastrous stretches in June and July. For his career, Gore has an ERA of 5.43 in June and 7.89 in July. Those summer swan dives are what is holding him back from reaching the next level.

Is this finally the year he can get over that hurdle? I think he has a good chance. Gore is pitching the best he has his entire career right now. He leads all of baseball in strikeouts and his walks are lower than ever.

However, we need to see it to believe it. To truly become that ace, Gore has to hold up the entire season and deliver consistent performances. He has done that so far, but he has had great April’s and May’s before. Now it is time to keep it up in the summer heat. If he can do that, MacKenzie Gore can be the ace we all know he can be.