Javier Vazquez is out of WBC and will not pitch in MLB this year, according to @nasty_rodriguez, editor of El Nuevo Dia in Puerto Rico.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 27, 2013

James Wagner of the Washington Post confirms the report, adding that Vazquez is having right meniscus surgery.

Javier Vasquez pulls out of WBC for Puerto Rico & won’t pitch in majors this yr b/c of right meniscus surgery. Confirming @nasty_rodriguez.

— James Wagner (@JamesWagnerWP) February 27, 2013

That rules out a return for Vazquez to the Washington Nationals organization if it is true and means that the Nationals will have to make due with the pitching depth they currently have and possibly even less should Chris Young opt out of his contract in late March.

Vazquez was looking to return from a year off of baseball but after throwing for some teams this off-season, suffered a set back and seems to have chosen either another year off or retirement.

September 5, 2012; Washington, D.C., USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez (47) in the on-deck circle during the second inning against the Chicago Cubs at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

After that, more reports surfaced that linked Gonzalez to a pink cream that included synthetic testosterone which is banned by most drug policies in sports. I am not making any judgement on Gonzalez or trying to guess if it is enough for Major League Baseball to suspend him without a positive test. However, the Nationals have to start thinking of a Plan B with their ace pitcher just in case.

I have said, probably since the beginning of the off-season, that the Nationals need as much pitching as they can get, especially when it comes to people who can start games and step up if anything happens to their starters. Like I said, the Nationals had one of the healthiest starting rotations in baseball last year, and that is the kind of thing that doesn’t last from season to season. In fact, the Nationals would have had even less pitchers starting games had they not shut down Stephen Strasburg. Saying a pitcher is going to get injured is kind of like saying it’s going to rain in the Spring. Getting it right doesn’t mean you’re Nostradamus and no one will blame you for getting it wrong. This, obviously, is something completely different but the ramifications are the same.  The Nationals face a possibility that they will be without Gonzalez for a period of time.

Now, who is there to step up into that sixth starter role to replace Gonzalez? The team had talked about making Christian Garcia a starter but his major arm injuries have come as a starter and it will take time for the Nationals to stretch him out. So that is one option, especially since the Nationals added Rafael Soriano to the bullpen to allow Garcia to stretch out in the minor leagues.

Another option is Zach Duke. Duke started very well for Syracuse last season and has been a starter for most of his professional career. He can step up in the swing role that Tom Gorzelanny was in last year. And that won’t leave the Nationals without a left-hander in the bullpen because they have Fernando Abad and Bill Bray who can fill that role in middle innings.

As linked above, they also might have an option in Javier Vazquez. If a decision is made on Gonzalez before he signs somewhere, Vazquez might see the opening in Washington as a perfect fit. Most contending teams won’t have that kind of opening in their rotation.

The problem with using either Duke or Garcia is that the Nationals don’t really have a seventh or eighth option to start games. If injuries come in bunches (as they often do), it could mean big trouble and desperation for a contending team such as Washington.

It’s possible that the team won’t need eight starters. They didn’t last year. But in the instance they do, they are not prepared at all. Look at Texas last year for example. They started the year with Colby Lewis, Yu Darvish, Matt Harrison, Derek Holland and Neftali Feliz. By the end of July they had to use top prospect Martin Perez, minor leaguer Justin Grimm, swing men Scott Feldman and Alexi Ogando, signed Roy Oswalt and trade for Ryan Dempster to start games. They ended up falling out of top spot in the American League West, settling for the Wild Card and losing the one-game playoff to the Baltimore Orioles. There were other factors involved as well, don’t get me wrong, but even the pitching depth they had – as unspectacular as it was – is better than what the Nats have now.

That is the worst case scenario, obviously. However, that’s the thing about worst case scenarios. Sometimes they become reality.

Edit: One other name that can be used in the organization is Non-Roster invite Ross Ohlendorf. He started nine games for the San Diego Padres last year. It is depth guys like that who can make a difference should injuries hit.

18 Days
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13 Days

We continue today with number 12.

Today we will take a look at pitchers and strikeouts. Which pitchers in franchise history have the most games with 12 or more strikeouts and who did the best in those games. Fourteen different pitchers have at least 12 strikeouts in a game.

May 04, 2011; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa (18) celebrates hitting a three run home run with pinch hitter Matt Stairs (12) and left fielder Laynce Nix (19) during the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies defeated the Nationals 7-4. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The pitcher with the most 12+ strikeout games is not surprisingly Pedro Martinez. Martinez had 11 such games, and went 4-5 with a 1.50 ERA in those games. Of those 11 starts, seven were complete games and he walked 26.

In second spot with four is Bill Stoneman. The former general manager was 4-0 in those games with two shutouts.

Three pitchers had three games meeting the criteria. One of which is Stephen Strasburg which isn’t a big surprise to anyone who remotely watches baseball. Of all of the pitchers with at least two games, he has the best strikeout-to-inning ratio which is not surprising either as the Nationals have always been careful with his pitch counts and innings.

The other two with three games are Javier Vazquez and Balor Moore. Vazquez sat last year out of Major League Baseball and is still considering a return and the Nationals are one of the teams that have shown interest. Moore was the first draft pick to play for the Expos. He was their first round pick in 1969 and was largely a disappointment as he battled arm injuries throughout his career. In fact, all of the three 12+K games came in the first full season of his career. He made his debut in 1970 at age 19, but made his last at only 29.

Here are the others that made an appearance on the list:

Two Times: Floyd Youmans, John Patterson, Mark Langston, Bill Gullickson
One Time: Mike Wegener, Bob Sebra, Jeff Juden, Joe Hesketh, Jeff Fassero

Notable players to wear 12 with the Expos/Nationals: John Boccabella, Wil Cordero, Don Buford, Alfonso Soriano, Josh Wilson, Rob Mackowiak, Alberto Gonzalez, Matt Stairs