Washington Nationals: Will Dusty Baker deploy his own Andrew Miller?
By Brian Foley
The Washington Nationals Sean Doolittle can dominate any in any relief situation, but will Dusty Baker limit him to just the ninth inning in October?
After years of closer malpractice, including the Washington Nationals, managers finally flipped the script last October and sent their best relief arms to the mound in the highest-leverage situations regardless of inning.
Most notably, Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona weaponized fireballer Andrew Miller whenever the moment arose.
Miller made 10 appearances during the Indians’ run to the World Series; he totaled 29 strikeouts across 17 innings, and never once picked up less than 4 outs. Through it all, he only earned one save, but still took home the ALCS MVP award.
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Francona and Miller were not alone.
The Chicago Cubs frequently pushed Aroldis Chapman including in a 3-2 World Series win where Chapman entered in the sixth inning for an eight-out save.
Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen threw 2.1 innings and 51 pitches in Game 5 of the NLDS against the Washington Nationals before ace Clayton Kershaw entered on one day of rest for the final two outs. In the ensuing NLCS, Jansen amassed 6.1 scoreless innings in just three appearances.
And don’t expect relief aces to disappear in 2017 either. The Cubs, Indians, and Dodgers are all back in the postseason. The Yankees – should they advance past the AL Wild Card game – have Chapman, Dellin Betances, and a bevy of other relievers to mix and match. The Boston Red Sox now have former Cy Young winner David Price as their bridge from starter to Craig Kimbrel. The Houston Astros Chris Devenski completed at least four outs in nearly 40 percent of his appearances during the regular season.
The Nationals have a more traditional bullpen set-up, with Brandon Kintzler, Ryan Madson, and Sean Doolittle expected to handle the final three innings. But such rigid roles do not put the team in the best position to win. Doolittle is clearly Dusty Baker’s most trusted reliever, meaning he should be on the mound in any big late game spot. The goggled 31-year-old owns an above-average 10.9 strikeout rate with impeccable control, and is equally tough on righties and lefties. He is more than just a situational pitcher.
Mid-season acquisitions Madson and Kintzler give Baker even more flexibility. Both have closing experience, and are reliable enough to lock down a game against the bottom of the order should Doolittle take care of the more threatening spots in the seventh or eighth inning.
In 2016, Francona was able to use Miller creatively because he still had Cody Allen and Bryan Shaw at his disposal. Baker has the same opportunity with his excellent trio.
However, it remains to be seen if Baker will break the Nationals’ normal bullpen structure.
Doolittle has thrown exactly one inning in all 30 of his appearances with Washington this season. Over the long haul of the regular season, it is normal to keep your closer on a routine. But, in the postseason, with the season on the line and more rest opportunities between games the norm should be thrown out the window.
Still, last October, Baker failed to stretch Mark Melancon past his typical closing duties. Melancon threw four times, all in ninth inning, with only one appearance extending to four outs. Baker saved Melancon for the ninth, and used Marc Rzepczynski, Blake Treinen, Sammy Solis, and Shawn Kelley in the seventh inning of the decisive Game 5. Three-hole hitter Justin Turner responded with a two-run triple, and Washington was unable to mount a comeback. Melancon put up a zero later in the game, but it was already too late.
Next: Looking back against the Cubs
Doolittle is the team’s best reliever and should be used accordingly. Chicago’s Joe Maddon will most certainly use his All-Star closer Wade Davis outside the ninth inning in the NLDS. Will Baker do the same?