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Washington Nationals Rapid Reaction: Jordan Zimmermann Stumbles As Nats Struggles Continue

By Ricky Keeler

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Apr 18, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher David Carpenter (29) throws a pitch during a baseball game at Tropicana Field. The New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 9-0. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Carpenter Shines In Nats Debut

Due to the Nationals having to put Aaron Barrett on the disabled list Friday afternoon, David Carpenter was called into action one day after being acquired from the New York Yankees. For his first game, the 29-year-old right-hander had a good performance.

His night began with an eight-pitch battle with Jonathan Lucroy. Eventually, Carpenter would win the battle by striking out Lucroy swinging with a 96 mile per hour fastball. All night, Carpenter had a fastball of 95-96 mph, which was a good sign to see from the former Brave reliever.

He ended the eighth inning by getting Parra to fly out to right field and Braun to ground out to short for a 1-2-3 inning. Even though it was in a 8-4 game and not in a high pressure situation, Carpenter was able to get the job done.

Of course, the night that Carpenter made his debut, there came the report by Jon Morosi of FOX Sports and MLB Network that the Nationals and Reds have had trade discussions involving closer Aroldis Chapman:

While Chapman would be a good addition to the bullpen, don’t sleep on Carpenter helping the team as a seventh inning guy in the bullpen. Being back in the NL East should help his comfort level as well. The Nats bullpen has struggled, but imagine a 7-8-9 of Carpenter/Janssen, Chapman, and Storen to go with the starting rotation.

All things considered, it was a good first night with the Nats for David Carpenter. Now, the next test will be how he fares in a close game along with Casey Janssen.

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