Nationals left-hander Gio Gonzalez was knocked around for eight runs on seven hits and four walks over 3 2/3 innings last Friday in his first minor league rehab start with High-A Potomac. He saw some improvement tonight.
Gonzalez, who is working his way back from shoulder inflammation, allowed just one run and struck out seven batters over four innings for High-A Potomac. While he walked four batters, he told James Wagner of the Washington Post that it was a byproduct of him working on his offspeed pitches. The important part is that he felt good and got stretched out to 79 pitches. The southpaw feels “ready to go” and lines up to rejoin the Nationals’ rotation next week.
Gonzalez, 28, posted a 4.62 ERA and 53/20 K/BB ratio in 50 2/3 innings across nine starts prior to landing on the disabled list last month.
