March 6, 2021 4:51 PM : Gant, competing for the No. 5 role in the starting rotation, allowed four runs on four hits and two walks over two innings in a Grapefruit League loss to the Nationals on Friday. He struck out two.
Analysis: Gant had opened Grapefruit League play with a pair of scoreless frames versus the Nationals on Sunday, but his second go-around against Washington clearly didn't go anywhere near as smoothly. The right-hander saw his first inning rolled over per spring training rules after he allowed a three-run home run to Alex Avila, a development that led to Gant settling down to subsequently record five straight outs before giving up an RBI double on his final pitch. Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports Gant primarily placed the blame for his struggles on not having anything other than his fastball working Friday. "Definitely room for improvement," Gant said. "I was very non-competitive with my offspeed pitches today. I felt like I had a pretty good heater, but it takes more than a pretty good heater to get it done. Almost every offspeed pitch I threw was pretty noncompetitive, either bouncing or a foot outside on those curveballs."