Washington Nationals Rapid Reaction: Nats Strand 13 In Loss To Reds

May 29, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Taylor Jordan throws against the Cincinnati Reds in the second inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

  Taylor Jordan Fills In Well For Strasburg

After Strasburg left the game, it was up to Taylor Jordan to try to do two things: Eat innings to save the bullpen and keep the Nats in the game. He was able to do both. The 26-year old right-hander went 4.2 innings, gave up three runs on six hits, struck out one, and walked two.

From the second thru the fifth innings, Jordan was able to get his fastball up to 93 miles per hour. However, he immediately got in trouble in the second when the Reds put runners on second and third with two outs. But, Jordan would work himself out of it by getting DeSclafani to line out to Ian Desmond and Billy Hamilton to ground out to second. In the third, he got Brayan Pena to ground out to short with runners on the corners and he got Jay Bruce to line out to center field in the fifth with a runners on second and two outs.

If Jordan is going to stay in the rotation, depending on the status of Strasburg’s injury, one thing he has to work on is to not elevate the fastball as much. Cincinnati got good swings on the fastball late in the outings, but he avoided giving up the long ball and had eight flyball outs in the process.

However, Jordan would struggle in the sixth as he walked Marlon Byrd with one out and gave up a double to Skip Schumaker to put two runners in scoring position with one out. Bryan Price would send up Brandon Phillips to pinch hit for DeSclafani and Phillips would get the job done with a sacrifice fly to left. Then, Hamilton was able to bloop a single over Espinosa to give the Reds the lead, ultimately ending Jordan’s night.

Even though he took the loss last night, Jordan is a pitcher that can slide right into the rotation if Strasburg is out for an extended period of time. Last year, Jordan filled in while Doug Fister missed the first month of the season. He went 0-3 with 5.61 ERA in five starts. Give Jordan credit for doing just enough to give the Nats a chance to win.

Next: Nats Struggle Vs. Reds Bullpen