Jason Bergmann is not, by nature, an emotional guy.
The 26-year-old right-hander is as easygoing and friendly as any player inside the Washington Nationals’ clubhouse, so when he spent four minutes in front of his locker last night in full uniform repeatedly trashing himself following a 10-4 loss to the Florida Marlins, heads turned and ears perked.
“I’m pretty fired up,” Bergmann said. “I’m really [ticked] off because I’m better than that. This team didn’t need that. I failed these guys tonight, and I’m pretty [ticked] off about it.”
Washington’s sixth straight loss, played before a crowd of 23,340 at Nationals Park, was perhaps the ugliest of this ragged stretch. Certainly, the Marlins’ seven-run fifth inning against Bergmann qualified as the low point of a season that began with much promise but has since taken a significant turn for the worse.
The Nationals (3-6) are starting to feel the strain.
“I know it’s early, but we need to turn it around quick,” catcher Paul Lo Duca said. “Because this is getting ridiculous.”
The pressure on Bergmann to turn things around might be greater than on anyone else because he could find his job in jeopardy with another start like this.
That would never have seemed possible yesterday afternoon, when the list of candidates who could lose their job when presumptive ace Shawn Hill returns from the disabled list was limited to young lefties Matt Chico and John Lannan.
But Bergmann’s performance through his first two starts (0-1, 10.45 ERA) has to thrust him into the conversation.
“We’re not going to make our decision based on one bad outing or two bad outings,” manager Manny Acta said. “We’re going to sit down and talk about it when Hill is ready. … A lot can happen between now and then.”
Acta did acknowledge that Bergmann, a reliever when he first debuted in the big leagues, could be considered for a move back to the bullpen, though that hasn’t been discussed yet.
What has been most surprising about Bergmann thus far has been the manner in which he has crumbled deep into his outings. Last week in Philadelphia, he allowed one run over his first five innings only to surrender four more on a barrage of hits in the sixth.
Last night’s start was stunningly similar. Bergmann threw scoreless ball for four innings, then was battered for seven runs on six hits during a nightmarish fifth.
“That last inning was just inexcusable,” the right-hander said. “It was me coming apart, and I’ve got to work much harder to not do that.”
Bergmann’s undoing began with his first pitch of the inning, which Jorge Cantu tattooed into the left-field bleachers. Bergmann then allowed back-to-back singles. Opposing pitcher Scott Olsen sacrificed both runners up, leaving first base open and leaving Acta with his first dilemma of the night: pitch to Hanley Ramirez or intentionally walk the dangerous Florida leadoff man and go after Dan Uggla?
Acta chose the latter and paid for his decision when Uggla drilled a two-run double to the gap in left-center.
“I’m going to do it every day if I have to,” Acta said. “I just fear Hanley Ramirez, and I think everybody else should. It’s a no-brainer to me.”
No-brainer or not, the inning really got out of control after that. Jeremy Hermida added his own two-run double to right, making it 5-1. Mike Jacobs launched a two-run homer into the right-field bullpen, completing the Marlins’ seven-run inning.
Inside the home clubhouse, players tried to deflect this losing streak and insisted no one is in panic mode yet.
“The team that’s supposed to win 200 games this year hasn’t won a game yet,” Ryan Zimmerman said, referring to the Detroit Tigers, who won last night after an 0-7 start. “So let’s be honest. We’ve played good baseball. It would be different if we were making four errors a game and throwing games away.”
Try telling that to an irate Bergmann, who after showering and dressing slunk into a clubhouse easy chair and stared blankly forward for 15 minutes.
“This is a big locker room, but there’s nowhere to hide,” he said. “I’ve got to be a man and man up to my mistakes tonight. I really let everyone down tonight. I’m just [ticked], and like I said, I have every right to be.”
Nationals Report
CHAT EXCERPT
Each Wednesday Mark Zuckerman answers fans’ questions on washingtontimes.com To submit a question, e-mail natsmailbag@washingtontimes.com and read his responses at video1.washingtontimes.com/natsmailbag.
From James in Mount Vernon:
What is the latest status on Wily Mo Pena? Elijah Dukes? How soon should we expect either one to be back? If it is a week or more, have there been any discussions on whether the Nationals will consider another bat for the bench from the minor leagues?
Mark Zuckerman:
The Weapon of Mass Production appears to be close to returning from the DL. He played three innings at extended spring training yesterday and should start a rehab assignment at Columbus within a few more days. I think we’ll see him activated sometime next week while the Nationals are on the road. Dukes’ return is much further off. Looks like he’s going to miss four to six weeks minimum with a serious hamstring injury. The Nats definitely won’t rush him back. If Pena was going to be out longer, I think you might see the Nationals consider promoting Justin Maxwell from Harrisburg to play left field. But since we’re only talking about another week, I believe you’ll keep seeing (Felipe) Lopez, (Willie) Harris and (Rob) Mackowiak out there for now.
From Caroll Melton:
Dmitri Young: What are his prospects with the Nationals?
Mark Zuckerman:
Well, he’s signed for the next two years at $5 million a year, so I don’t think he’s going anywhere else. Before anything, though, Dmitri has got to get himself into shape and get his diabetes under control. These two things go hand-in-hand. Once he has gotten his physical well-being together, then he can start worrying about baseball. But boy, the way Nick Johnson is playing and the way Young looks, that decision to re-sign him last summer is looking mighty suspect right now, isn’t it?
BY THE NUMBERS
19 Doubles hit by the Nationals through their first eight games, most in the majors.
TONIGHT’S GAME
Marlins LHP Mark Hendrickson (0-1, 10.80) vs. Nationals LHP Odalis Perez (0-1, 6.00), 7:10 p.m., MASN HD, AM-1500, FM-107.7
— Mark Zuckerman
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