Washington Nationals: Should Erick Fedde’s rotation spot be permanent?
Another impressive outing for Erick Fedde, this time against the Philadelphia Phillies. Could his rotation spot be permanent with the Washington Nationals?
After a mini-wave of injuries in the starting rotation, Erick Fedde has had to step up for the Washington Nationals. But when Stephen Strasburg returns, will Fedde stick in the rotation long-term?
On Saturday he went six strong innings, allowing just three earned runs, on eight hits and striking out three. Even though the line doesn’t look pretty there were plenty of positives.
For starters, it’s the first time since his major league debut last year that he hasn’t allowed a home run. But also, he kept the ball on the ground a ton, as manager Davey Martinez echoed after the game.
“He was dealing. Those sinkers at 94 miles per hour were pretty good”, Martinez said of his right-hander. Fedde recorded 12 groundballs on 20 balls in play, so if he keeps pitching that way, the results will come.
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For example, in the key two-run second inning where the Phillies did their damage, they hit three soft two-out grounders that found holes. Had even one of those found a fielder, we could be talking about a Nats win.
Given Martinez’s praise, it may be a straight competition between him and Tanner Roark for the fifth starter spot. We’ll see how it plays out, but Erick Fedde continues to keep his team in the games he pitches.
Daniel Murphy still improving
Another day in the lineup, another day where Daniel Murphy showed progress toward getting back to his old self. He put the Nats on top 2-0 with a 2 RBI single in the second inning, but he also made a key play with the glove.
In the fourth inning, with Nick Williams on second base, Maikel Franco hit a single up the middle. When Franco tried to stretch it into a double, Murphy was there following him and tagged him out when he overshot the base.
Although it didn’t do the Nats many favors in terms of the result, it was positive to see him hustle. Sometimes after a big injury, players are cautious to press but Murphy clearly isn’t in that stage. Hopefully, he can get more RBI hits like he did today and help this lineup find its rhythm again.
A mixed bag for Spencer Kieboom
Spencer Kieboom drew the start at catcher, with a day game after a night game, and had a mixed day. He went 1 for 2 with a walk at the plate and continues to swing a hot stick. In his last eight games, he’s hitting an impressive .286 with five walks to boot.
However, his defensive decision making came under the microscope on Saturday. There were two key tag plays at the plate that the Phillies scored on. The one in the second inning was a wide throw from Adam Eaton that left him a lot to do.
However, the Phillies plated the go-ahead run in the seventh inning, where Kieboom was likely at fault. He started too far up the first base line and left himself a long way to make the tag. So despite the ball beating the runner to the plate, he still snuck under the tag for a key run.
On the whole, Kieboom has probably exceeded expectations as the backup catcher, but the Nationals will hope he can iron out the kinks with Matt Wieters still a ways from returning.
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Now the Washington Nationals get set for Sunday Night Baseball against the very same Philadelphia Phillies. It’s going to be a big start for Jefry Rodriguez, as he’s tasked with helping the Nats avoid a sweep.