District On Deck
FanSided

Washington Nationals: Sammy Solis becoming a reliable option

By Blake Finney

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 6: Sammy Solis #36 of the Washington Nationals works in the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Nationals Park on July 6, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 6: Sammy Solis #36 of the Washington Nationals works in the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Nationals Park on July 6, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

In a season where the Washington Nationals have had some trouble pitching the middle innings, Sammy Solis has become a reliable piece in the month of May.

Trying to shut down the opposition during the middle innings has been a problem for the Washington Nationals all season. But lately, Sammy Solis has been turning his season around and should be considered a reliable option in such innings.

Solis had a rough time of things in April, finishing the month with a 5.23 ERA in just 10.1 innings. A lot of this was down to an obscenely high BABIP at .429, over .100 points higher than his career number.

But now in May, he’s managed to lock things down and produce a 1.69 ERA in 5.1 innings so far this month. His BABIP normalized to a much more sensible level at .286. He’s also striking out batters at an astounding career high 13.2 K/9 this season. And with a FIP of 2.12 on the year, this level is sustainable and will allow him to become a great middle relief option.

More from District on Deck

Davey Martinez clearly trusts the leftie, as five of his last seven appearances have come in leads of three or less, or in a tied game. And even then, the other two came in one and two run deficits respectively, with Martinez expected Solis to keep the bats in striking range.

It appears that he’s now worked his way to fourth option in the bullpen after the law-firm. Sean Doolittle, Ryan Madson and Brandon Kintzler still have the seventh, eighth and ninth locked down for the Nats. But it would be great if we were to see Solis step in if they need a rest, as he has earned the chance.

Solis also has a key role as the only left-hander in the bullpen aside from Doolittle, who’s reserved for save situations most of the time. Therefore if a dangerous leftie comes up to bat, he’ll be needed as the platoon matchup. In a division with the likes of Freddie Freeman, Odubel Herrera and Michael Conforto the Nationals have Solis ready to offer a favorable matchup.

The main worry with Solis right now is that he’s appeared in 23 games so far this season. That’s good for 55 percent of the Nats games. It’s something to monitor, as the Nationals will need to be careful not to burn out their reliable leftie too soon before the playoffs.

Hopefully, part of this will be thanks to the recent surge that their starting pitching is on. Of late, with the exception of Jeremy Hellickson, they are all going deep into games. This keeps the bullpen innings to a minimum, allowing Solis to rest up.

Next: Who will be the Nats All-Stars?

Sammy Solis is going to be a big part of the Washington Nationals middle relief corps the rest of the season. He’ll be needed to help them win plenty of the closer games they’ll have during the year.

Home/Nationals News