Washington Nationals News: David Carpenter settles into back of ‘pen
By Pablo Roa
Good afternoon DoD readers, and welcome to today’s District Daily! Get caught up on the latest Nats news with some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web below.
In today’s Daily, the Washington Post’s Chelsea Janes discusses reliever David Carpenter and how he has settled into the back end of the Nationals’ bullpen. As Janes notes, Carpenter—who joined the Nationals earlier this month after being DFA’d by the Yankees—has pitched in several key, late-inning situations in his short time with the Nationals.
So far, Carpenter has proven to be an important acquisition for a team which had struggled with an inexperienced and inconsistent bullpen all season long. The 29-year-old right-hander is scoreless in five appearances for the Nationals, a big improvement from the 4.22 ERA he posted in 22 appearances with the Yankees earlier this season.
It remains to be seen if Carpenter can maintain his dominant form for the rest of the season and continue to succeed in the late innings as he did with the Braves from 2013-14. One thing’s for certain, the Nationals’ bullpen was in desperate need of a fresh, veteran arm to help lead a squad of inexperienced youngsters, and in Carpenter, it looks like the Nationals have found their man.
As Janes notes in her article, the Nationals now have a reliable, veteran trio of Carpenter, Matt Thornton and Casey Janssen in the back of the ‘pen, all of whom have been called on at different times to pitch the eighth inning and get the ball to closer Drew Storen. The Nationals’ bullpen, which for most of the season has been the biggest question mark surrounding the ball club, appears to have finally gained some stability in the late innings.
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Also in today’s Daily, MLB.com’s Jacob Emert discusses Bryce Harper‘s apparent injury running the bases in last night’s win over the Braves. As Emert notes, the injury Harper sustained to his right leg was ‘just a cramp’, and he should be OK.
For the second time in as many weeks, Nationals fans can breath a long sigh of relief. Bryce Harper, the heart and soul of this team and arguably the best player in baseball, doesn’t appear to be hurt, though he isn’t in the lineup for today’s game against the Braves.
Be sure to check out both articles below, they’re definitely worth a read. And as always, stay tuned to DoD for all your Washington Nationals needs.
David Carpenter settles into the back of Nationals bullpen
(Chelsea Janes, Washington Post)
David Carpenter smiles when he heard himself called a “veteran presence” in the Nationals bullpen. In his estimation, he’s still learning, hardly qualified for that label in his fifth major league season. But all of those seasons have been spent in the bullpen. Compared to some of the pitchers around him, like Blake Treinen, Felipe Rivero and Tanner Roark, he is overflowing with relief experience.
“I was laughing with [Matt] Thornton the other day,” Carpenter said. “He and [Casey] Janssen, they’ve been around awhile. They know how things work. It was funny hearing “veteran” attached to my name. I wouldn’t say that. I’m still trying to figure things out. I’ve had maybe a little more experience than some of the other guys down there right now, but I’m still learning things every day.” Read full article here.
Harper pulls up with ‘just a cramp’ in 11th
WASHINGTON — In the 11th inning of Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Atlanta, Bryce Harper doubled to the right-center-field gap with one out. He pulled into second base awkwardly before doubling over and appearing to grab at his right leg.
“I just felt a cramp,” Harper said after the game. “I just got done working out, so I haven’t even gotten treatment yet. But, pretty much just a cramp.”
Harper waved off manager Matt Williams and head trainer Lee Kuntz, but both continued to second base to check on the star right fielder. After a relatively brief conversation, Harper stayed in the game. Read full article here.