Nats Edge Astros, 4-3
Paul DeJong’s two-run HR in the 3rd put the Nats up 4-1 and the bullpen held on to secure a 4-3 win on Sunday.
Trevor Williams scattered five hits over two and a 1/3rd innings in his second start. He walked one and struck out two and was credited with the win.
Andrew Pinckney got the start in right field and reached base twice on a single in the 4th and a walk in the 6th while playing all nine innings.
The rest of the watchlist players came off the bench or out of the ‘pen:
- Cayden Wallace made another appearance as the second 2B and drew a walk in his only PA
- Robert Hassell subbed for Jacob Young in CF and went 0-for-2 with a strikeout
- Brady House replaced DeJong at 3B and had a double in two ABs
- Yoyo Morales followed Nathaniel Lowe at 1B and walked in his only trip to the plate
- Darren Baker subbed for Alex Call in LF and went 0-for-1 with a whiff
- Brad Lord stranded two runners while getting the last out in the 5th, then pitched a 1-2-3 sixth for the hold
- Jack Sinclair gave up two hits in two innings pitched but struck out three over the 7th and 8th innings to earn the hold
The Nats are off on Monday, which is the second of three scheduled off days this spring. They’ll return to action on Tuesday afternoon.
Brad Lord was given a new test today, coming in to finish an inning with two runners aboard and nursing a one run lead. is it inconceivable that he’s being considered for a bullpen role on Opening Day?
Well FredMD : I recall Expos had Bryn Smith in bullpen before he flourished under Buck Rodger’s rotation plans with his red beard
UC IRVINe alum
Faces J Irwin tomorrow
It’s not a bad idea, Fred. Some of these SPs are necessarily going to need to be shifted to the bullpen, or demoted.
We have 19 SPs for 10 spots across DC and Rochester:
1. Gore
2. Williams
3. Soroka
4. Irvin
5. Parker
6. Herz
7. Ogasawara
8. Cavalli
9. Lord
10. Stuart
11. Choi
12. Alvarez
13. Rutledge
14. Adon
15. Pilkington
16. Solesky
17. Luckham
18. Lara
19. Shuman
It’s likely everyone from Pilkington down will play in AA (or be released), but that’s still 4 too many SPs to fill out two rotations. I’d be amazed if Adon and Rutledge continue to be used as SPs, but I’d have said the same thing this time last year too, so who knows. But that’s still 2 too many. Maybe this resolves itself by a couple starters getting injured between now and Opening Day, but I’d pinpoint Cavalli, Lord or Alvarez as strong candidates to get shifted to the bullpen. I think they’ll give Ogasawara a run out of at least several months before switching him to relief. However, the clock with him is ticking. He’s signed to a 2 year deal, so decisions will need to be taken quickly to get any value out of him.
I really look forward to seeing what Choi brings to the table for Delano , sr .
I’m sure thre are some young guys looking at that list of list of 19 pitchers thinking : looks like my freshman year in college with the sorority house
Snarkle! Snarkle!
ML – Gore, Williams, Soroka, Irvin, Herz
AAA – Parker, Oga, Cavalli, Lord, Stuart
AA – Lara, Shuman, Bennett, Susana, ???
Obviously the biggest crunch is SP4-7, and it does seem pretty wild for a roster as mediocre as ours to be stashing a 2 WAR pitcher in AAA as SP6. But that’s where we are, and I don’t think any of those top 7 are going to pushed into relief before mid-summer, if then. Other than that, all the spots seem perfectly appropriate to folks’ development. Maybe Lara could start in AAA, but it would also be reasonable to give him a few more months of AA even if the AAA rotation spot was waiting for him.
The only guy I really see getting squeezed is Alvarez. Maybe they’ll go 6-man rotation in Rochester, maybe he’ll drop back down to AA. Maybe he’ll be one of the converts to the pen. But he didn’t even get an NRI, so it’s pretty clear he’s a lower priority for the team.
And then Rut is a slight question mark. I agree with you that, after last season’s struggles and down to his last option, it really feels like he’s used up his runway. I know Rizzo gets very stubborn around this issue, but it’s time. It’s past time.
I’ll also just say that I don’t think Choi, Plinkerton, Solesky or Luckham are really in the depth chart at all. They’ll be released or used as swingmen / innings eaters and moved between AA and AAA as needed. Maybe if one really breaks out they’ll get a look in DC as long relief, but it’s unlikely. Adon is pretty much in the same boat too. He was already in relief the second half of his AAA season, and there’s no way he’s going to win back his starting spot post-DFA.
Rut ? Trade to Cards home town guy
Nats/Orioles MASN dispute settled. No more excuses for the Lerners. Wouldn’t be surprised to see the Nats’ sell soon. Monumental needs the Spring/Summer programming.