But when MacKenzie Gore is in a jam? His Washington Nationals teammates and coaches detect a different demeanor from their ace — but that’s easy when the keys to the exit always seem to be in your back pocket.

Gore didn't factor into the decision during Tuesday's extra-inning loss to the Mets, allowing two runs on five hits and no walks across six innings. He struck out six.

Jeff McNeil drove in the winning run, ripping the first pitch he saw from Cole Henry down the left field line to score Luisangel Acuña.

With Gore emerging as the clear ace, the Nationals must now determine who else can reliably fill out the rotation for the rest of 2025 and beyond.

Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore put together a stellar performance against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday.

The narrative had already been well-established before tonight’s game. MacKenzie Gore had been pitching as well as anybody in the league but had only two wins to show for it because of a lack of run support from his Nationals teammates and a few bullpen mishaps along the way.

It’s only one week and two series, but after ranking ninth in May with 133 runs scored, the Washington Nationals have plated a MLB-low 11 runs in June.

MacKenzie Gore pitched seven innings of three-hit ball and Amed Rosario homered to break a scoreless tie in the seventh as the Washington Nationals beat the Chicago Cubs 2-0.

Rosario makes the most of a rare start and Gore continues to put himself in the Cy Young Award conversation by stifling one of the best offenses in baseball.