Washington Nationals Rapid Reaction: Clayton Kershaw Silences Nats Offense
By Ricky Keeler
Jul 18, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Doug Fister (58) throws to the Los Angeles Dodgers during the third inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Fister Falls Flat Against Dodger Bats
Today’s outing against the Dodgers was Doug Fister’s first start in nearly two weeks. His last start before yesterday came on July 6 against the Cincinnati Reds. Right out of the gate, Fister did not have his control as he walked Joc Pederson on four pitches.
While the Dodgers wouldn’t score in the first inning, they would find a way to get on the board in the following inning. Los Angeles had three straight singles to begin the inning, including an infield single by Yasiel Puig to put the Dodgers up 1-0.
By giving up four earned runs yesterday, the 31-year-old right-hander has given up at least four runs or more in three of his last five starts.
While Fister’s velocity was up to an average of 87 miles per hour (according to Brooks Baseball), the problem for Fister continues to be leaving his sinker up in the zone. While Los Angeles did not hit any home runs today, they hit their fair share of balls to the warning track.
As the number five starter, Fister did his job in keeping the Nationals in the game. However, this performance shouldn’t be a surprise when you consider that he hadn’t thrown a pitch in almost two weeks. There was going to be some rust there.
With that being said, there has to be some level of concern when Fister hasn’t had the same control that he has shown in recent years and he is not able to rack up the ground balls out. In fact, his six groundball outs yesterday were tied for the second lowest he has had all season. Plus, his game score of 32 was the second lowest he’s had this year. The only one lower was the start against San Diego on May 14th (12 game score), a start in which he left early due to injury.
Next: Kershaw Shows Signs Of MVP Self