Washington Nationals: Is Gio Gonzalez in for a Career Year?
Take a look at our three biggest takeaways from the Washington Nationals’ 3-0 loss to Philadelphia.
Despite getting an excellent outing out of starter Gio Gonzalez, the Washington Nationals dropped their second straight contest to the Philadelphia Phillies Wednesday night. Gonzalez (1-1, 1.42 ERA) went toe-to-toe with the Phillies’ Jeremy Hellickson, but the 2011 Rookie of the Year ultimately prevailed.
Hellickson (2-1, 3.81) kept the Nats’ bats at bay, allowing no runs on two hits and three walks with eight strikeouts over seven innings pitched. He struck out Ryan Zimmerman and Jayson Werth twice apiece, as Washington struggled to get anything going offensively.
Gonzalez eventually took the loss, but in no way is that any accurate representation of his performance. The Nats’ southpaw threw six and a third innings, giving up only two runs (one earned) on five hits and three walks with five strikeouts.
Sammy Solis made an appearance in the game after earning a call-up from AAA Syracuse amidst Matt Belisle’s calf strain that sent him to the Disabled List. He was able to get out of an inherited bases loaded, one out jam unscathed, but allowed a solo home run off the bat of Carlos Ruiz the next inning.
The Nats (14-6) dropped back-to-back games for only the second time this year. They will need to recover quickly, however, as their daunting road trip featuring the likes of the Cardinals, Royals, and Cubs kicks off on Friday night.
Before Tanner Roark returns to the mound today looking to prevent the Nats from getting swept for the first time this season (4:05 p.m. ET, MASN), check out my three takeaways from last night’s 3-0 loss.
Next: Tough Lineup Decisions are Up Ahead
Tough Lineup Decisions are Up Ahead
It isn’t time to panic yet, but a lot of hitters in the Washington lineup aren’t, well… hitting. Leadoff man Michael Taylor is batting .192 with 26 strikeouts. Jayson Werth’s slash line is a concerning .180/.286/.393. Danny Espinosa is hitting a cool .182. Even Ryan Zimmerman (.234/.296/.328) and Anthony Rendon (.229/.289/.277) are struggling.
Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy can’t do it all for the Nats’ offense. Without any support around them, things could get ugly very quickly for this Nationals team. Manager Dusty Baker may not be thinking about it now, but there are tough decisions ahead if the Nats continue to hit like they are right now.
“We’re 14-6. You don’t start moving guys yet,” he said. “And if you shake up the basket and there isn’t nothing happening in the basket, when you shake it up, there still ain’t nothing happening. It don’t really matter where you’re hitting if you’re not hitting. And everybody can’t hit in front of Harper. And some of the guys hitting in front of Harper still aren’t hitting.” (h/t Chase Hughes, CSN Mid-Atlantic)
If you want to give your hitters a little more time to turn things around in their current spots, okay, I can give you that. But the leash cannot be too long, especially for hitters like Espinosa and Werth, who have immediate replacements waiting in the wing.
Meanwhile, Trea Turner is hitting the cover off the ball in AAA, posting a .357/.430/.529 slash line with six stolen bases (six-for-six on attempts) in 18 games so far this season. How long can the Nats justify keeping him in the minors when the player above him can’t even hit the Mendoza line?
In other news, Ben Revere will be making rehab starts soon and should be back in the Washington clubhouse for the Cubs series. With both Werth and Taylor struggling mightily, it will be interesting to see who Dusty picks to make a majority of the starts.
Next: Is Gio Gonzalez in for a Career Year?
Is Gio Gonzalez in for a Career Year?”
In 2012, Gio Gonzalez finished third place in Cy Young voting after winning 21 games, putting up a 2.89 ERA, and striking out 207 hitters. In the next three seasons, Gonzalez would average 10.7 wins, a 3.57 ERA, and 174.3 strikeouts per year.
He’s gotten off to a fast start to the 2016 season, boasting a 1.42 ERA, 0.99 WHP, and 25 strikeouts through four starts. The Nats’ left-hander has pitched at least six innings in each appearance, while reaching the seventh twice.
Gonzalez is sporting an 8.88 K/9, which is pretty close to his career average of 8.83, but has done a much better job at limiting free passes (2.49 BB/9 in 2016 compared to 3.82 career). What’s been working for him? According to the data over at Brooks Baseball, Gonzalez’s curveball has substantially improved. He’s induced swings and misses 19.7 percent of the times he’s thrown the pitch, up from 14.1 percent in his eight seasons prior.
Mechanical adjustments aside, Gio just looks a lot more comfortable out on the mound. He has kept his emotions in check, especially in high-leverage situations. If these first four starts are indicative of what’s to come, Gonzalez could be in for a huge year.
As we saw in 2012, Gio is very capable of posting All-Star caliber numbers, it is just a question of whether he can regain that form after three straight seasons of being a good-not-great type pitcher. In wake of his hot start to the season… so far, so good.
What’s the deal with Trevor Gott?
When the Nationals traded starting third baseman Yunel Escobar to the Los Angeles Angels over the offseason, count me among the group of writers who weren’t really surprised. He had a career year in his only season in Washington, but the likelihood of him repeating those numbers wasn’t very high.
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His stock was soaring, and general manager Mike Rizzo worked out a deal that reigned in right handers Trevor Gott and Michael Brady. Brady, 29, has spent his entire career in the minors but could make an impact on the big-league club down the road. Gott, on the other hand, had just wrapped up his age-22 season in Los Angeles, posting a 3.02 ERA in 48 appearances.
The common line of thinking heading into Spring Training was that Gott would be a key component of Washington’s revamped bullpen, but was surprisingly optioned to the minors in favor of non-roster invitee Matt Belisle. However, Belisle hit the DL this week, but the Nats didn’t dial Gott’s number. Solis got the call, and promptly gave up a homer in his first appearance.
Is there something the Nats know about Gott that we don’t? Yes, he’s under contract through the 2021 season, but what kind of reason is that to keep him in Triple-A with his level of upside? His sinker tops out at nearly 99 miles per hour. So far this season, he’s put up a 3.48 ERA in seven appearances for Syracuse, and has yet to allow a homer.
Next: Washington Nationals Offense Shut Out By Jeremy Hellickson, Phillies
It is an absolute crime for Gott to be trapped in Triple-A. What good was trading Escobar for him if they weren’t even going to play him in the majors? I’m sure the lineup could use the .281/.347/.449 slash line he’s posting in LA.