Tuesday wasn’t just eight effective innings for Joe Ross against a team that can’t hit well. It wasn’t just his hop back into the rotation. It was what could be the start of fixing this hot-mess bullpen that the first-place Washington Nationals have grappled with the first seven weeks of the season.
Here’s why: If Ross is able to stabilize the fifth starter’s spot, that allows Washington to throw all remaining reserves at it MLB-worst bullpen, currently the home of kerosene and broken dreams.
Let’s start with Ross. He pitched eight innings in his last start for just the second time in his career. He allowed a solo home run, hit the 100-pitch mark for the second time this season and left generally pleased. Ross was returning after being sent to Triple-A Syracuse to fix his command and arm slot.
“Coming back and kind of getting a big start for myself after going down to Syracuse for a little bit, I felt good out there,” Ross said.
A year after using 10 starters in 162 games, the Nationals have used eight starters in their first 45 games. Ross settling into the fifth spot will keep Jacob Turner in the bullpen to fill various issues. Top pitching prospect Erick Fedde has been moved to the bullpen at Double-A Harrisburg. He will presumably be in Washington midway through the season. That bandages for the bullpen revolve around Ross, Turner and Fedde intimate just how dire the situation has been.
Ross used his slider to great effect Tuesday. His fastball moved back up to 95 mph following concerns earlier in the season about his dip in velocity. For the season, his average fastball velocity is just 91.5 mph, according to the Web site Fangraphs. The speed reduction is keeping with a three-year trend since Ross was called up in 2015.
After riding along with Ross’ ineffective start to the season, Washington decided to move him down to Syracuse. Such a fluctuation, particularly for a former first-round pick, comes with mental challenges in addition to arm-slot issues. If Ross needed any advice on how to handle going up and down, he could talk to Matt Grace.
Grace, 28, has been recalled to the major leagues four times in a season that has just gone by the quarter pole. Each time he arrives in Syracuse, he’s hopeful the next call comes soon. These calls are not the same as the first time he was summoned, April 22, 2105, and debuted the same day, becoming the 18,445th player to hit the field in major league history. But, they remain a jolt to the heart.
“The logistical side, you kind of get used to,” Grace said. “I just learned to pack light. Don’t take a lot of stuff with me. Just live out of a suitcase.
“On the mental side, you’ve kind of just got to take it. If they’re calling me up to the big leagues, any situation where that’s the case, I’m thrilled about it. It’s better than any alternative. I’ll do anything to be here. … The other stuff gets a little tricky at times, though.”
Grace knows he is pitching for his job each time he comes back up. Ross is learning that the shine and faith from his draft status has begun to erode. Each outing for him is yet another job interview that buys a chance at another and another, until calm has finally returned and he is allowed room to waver.
Nationals manager Dusty Baker expects both to handle the pressure since he feels it’s ubiquitous.
“If you can’t handle pitching, playing or working to keep your job, how are you going to handle everyday life?” Baker said. “How you going to handle the pressure of playoffs and World Series? … That’s part of life, man. You can’t be livin’ worrying about losing your job. That’s just like living, worrying about when you’re going to die. Because, guess what? It’s going to happen. You got to count your blessings and make every start count. You can’t be thinking about pitching and being sent down. Just like there ain’t no guarantees you’re going to be here.”
Baker is operating under pressure of his own. He is wading through the final season of his two-year contract trying to handle a bullpen that threatens to derail his aspirations.
After announcing on the final day of spring training in Florida that Blake Treinen would be the closer, Baker has sent everyone from Koda Glover to Matt Albers onto the mound in the ninth. The job appears to be Glover’s — for now and quite possibly into the future.
Washington general manager Mike Rizzo has repeatedly relied on a trade deadline acquisition of a closer to boost the bullpen. Two years ago, he brought Jonathan Papelbon to the team. That did not work out well. Last season, he added Mark Melancon. That went swimmingly.
Trouble is, a similar move this season is likely to end up costly for Rizzo to pull because of the dearth of options and organizational assets. Would last-place Toronto consider moving 22-year-old Roberto Osuna? If so, at what cost for several years of contractual control? What about Kelvin Herrera in Kansas City? He’s having his worst season since 2013. David Robertson in Chicago? Other cellar-seekers like San Diego, Cincinnati, San Francisco and Pittsburgh have little to offer.
“We’re still in the process of trying to discover these things with the personnel that we have,” Baker said. “Don’t look like anybody is going to give us anything. We have got to figure out how to use the people we have.
“Even though we’ve blown some games, there are some people in baseball who would trade places with us in a minute. That’s not bad for a team that’s trying to figure it out.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.