Washington Nationals Rapid Reaction: Johnny Cueto Shuts Out Nats In Battle Of Aces

Jun 3, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Taylor Jordan (38) pitches during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Jordan And Solis Save The Bullpen

Normally, you do not expect the Nationals to have to go deep into their bullpen in a Max Scherzer start. In order to save some of his key relievers, manager Matt Williams went to Taylor Jordan with two outs in the top of the fifth. Jordan got out of the inning and gave the Nats a solid relief appearance.

The 26-year-old right-hander went 3.1 innings, gave up no runs on two hits, struck out three, and walked one on 45 pitches. This is the second time that Jordan has faced the Reds this season. Back on May 29, he was the pitcher who came in for Stephen Strasburg, who left that start early due to injury.

During that game, Jordan went 4.2 innings, gave up three runs on six hits, struck out two, and walked one on 74 pitches, but he took the loss. That being said, Jordan came back to the Nats Sunday with a good amount of confidence. In his last 20 innings for triple-A Syracuse, he gave up three combined runs and had nine strikeouts.

After Jordan’s appearance, Sammy Solis came into the game to pitch in the ninth inning. Solis retired all three Reds in order, all via groundball outs. Williams was able to use him because Solis might not be with the club much longer. David Carpenter is due back any day from paternity leave and will slide back into the bullpen. All in all, even in a bad Scherzer start, Williams found a way to preserve the bullpen, thanks to good outings from Jordan and Solis.

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