Balester Back In DC, Ripple Effect TBD
Promotions are due but we're not sure who
With the placement of Tom Gorzelanny on the 15-Day DL retroactive to Tuesday, the Washington Nationals have recalled Collin Balester from Syracuse to take his roster spot. Balester, however, will be in the ‘pen which means another move may be coming to replace Gorzelanny in the rotation.
Bill Ladson is reporting that that will be Yunesky Maya. Presuming that’s true, one can surmise that at the very least, J.D. Martin will get a spot start tomorrow. Whether he stays in the Syracuse rotation is another matter.
The addition of Zech Zinicola is most likely a tipoff that a pitcher is going from Harrisburg to Syracuse. Unfortunately, it could be a reliever just as easily as it might be a starter (Brad Peacock last pitched on Wednesday). Doubleheaders further down the ladder (Potomac and Hagerstown today, Harrisburg and Potomac tomorrow) further complicate matters and make it harder to guess what may be coming.
As always, if anything breaks in the next few hours, watch this space for updates…
My gut tells me that Balester goes back to SYR this afternoon, and Maya comes up for a 2-start (minimum) gig with DC. The ‘ripple’ effect is either Arnesen or Perez to SYR from AA, & gets backfilled by McCoy coming off the DL. Also, Gaudin has to go out on a rehab assignment at some point.
I guess the real drama unfolds if as we might be wondering, if the unreal Stras-like pitcher named Bradley Peacock gets his promotion to Syracuse and joins the Chief’s rotation as a result. The guy came out of nowhere to perhaps become the biggest Sickels sleeper of the year.
If that happens I can’t see Maya returning to the minors once he is in the majors. Like Livo and perhaps Marquis he turns out to be a great base runner, bunter, hitter etc. In fact Knorr said he almost got fired using Maya as a pinch runner who broke up a double play which turned out to be the key play in a game the Chiefs won as a part of their recent winning streaks to jump back close to .500. He’s done a good job in AAA.
I think they will put Gaudin on the 60-day. Perhaps both Gaudin and LaRoche? Maya could end up with Stair’s slot. There’s always the trade scenario. Mark Zuckerman made it a point to elaborate on KLaw’s report that “Rizzo being in the house” the other night; something about jumping up and down and swearing at his Blackberry … so you have to wonder? And it does seem like he has to do something with the Big club … things are getting out of hand … while down in the minors things seem to be going pretty decently when compared to the past?
Maya has a sub 1 WHIP the only SYR starter currently to have that. Although Meyers and Stammen are close. This is a good starting pitcher who has managed to go fairly deep into games … but then all the starters (with the exception of Detwiler) have been managing to do that.
Rizzo needs to find out what he’s got in Peacock to start planning next year’s rotation … if he manages to make that leap they might have three power pitchers plus Gorzo, who should also be considered one on the left side, in the rotation. Without going to free agency. For #5 they will have an abundant number of choices starting with Maya who is almost a veteran by default.
Throw in H-Rod, Storen, Balester, Elvin Ramirez, and you have a good starting core of three power pitchers coming out of the pen. Plus Sean Burnett. I would add Mattheus to this mix. Keep Coffey and Livo for another year and there’s two more veterans.
Pitching looks reasonably bright … its the positional situation that looks pretty mucked up.