Washington Nationals: Bullpen woes continue to cost team dearly

The Washington Nationals bullpen continues to be their downfall lately. On Tuesday, they gave four home runs, including a grand slam to seal an 11-8 loss.

The Washington Nationals season seemingly has been a case of never getting all facets of their game synced up. When their pitching shows up, their offense goes missing. And on Tuesday, their bullpen was ineffective, despite a great offensive effort.

After Erick Fedde departed in a 4-4 tie, Austen Williams took the mound looking to build off an impressive debut. He did not. He surrendered three home runs in the fifth inning and then left with a bases-loaded jam that Jimmy Cordero cleaned up.

The Nats managed to claw a run back to make it 7-5 heading into the ninth inning. Sammy Solis entered the game hoping to keep it at a two-run deficit but ended up allowing a grand slam to Yadier Molina. It pretty much ended the game despite a rally that got the tying run to the plate in the ninth.

More from District on Deck

After the game, manager Davey Martinez talked to Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post about the bullpen’s performance.

"“That’s gonna happen with these young guys, but they’re going to get an opportunity to pitch. They gotta realize, if they wanna pitch here, they gotta get outs. These are the things we have to see. I can’t keep using the same guys every single day.”"

It’s was quite a harsh, but also fair assessment of the current situation the Nationals are in. With their playoff hopes at next to nothing, it’s a perfect opportunity to give pitchers an opportunity to prove themselves.

Williams and Solis didn’t perform on this occasion with the game on the line. Now, Martinez may be more inclined to look elsewhere for potential relievers who want to impress ahead of the 2019 season.

Fedde promising on the whole

Despite a pretty ugly final line, Erick Fedde made a solid return from the disabled list in this game. He went five innings, giving up four runs on just four hits and two walks while striking out seven.

It all snowballed for Fedde in the second inning, where he allowed a solo homer to Marcell Ozuna and a bases-clearing single to Matt Carpenter. He just couldn’t put hitters away in that inning, going to two strikes on six of the eight hitters he faced.

But in the other four innings, he retired twelve of the thirteen batters he faced, striking out five. The strikeouts were particularly promising given his lack of an out pitch so far in the big leagues. Next up for Fedde will be the Philadelphia Phillies, where he’ll look to build on this positive outing.

Ross moved into the rotation

Also activated from the 60-day disabled list on Tuesday was starter Joe Ross. Martinez confirmed before the game that the right-hander would replace Jefry Rodriguez in the rotation and start Friday’s game against the Chicago Cubs.

It’s been a long road back for Ross who had Tommy John surgery last July and has been slowly progressing on his rehab assignment. He’s made six starts in the minors this season, recording a 2.39 ERA, while punching out 19 in 26.1 innings.

In his last three outings, he went at least five innings, so he should be relatively stretched out. But if the worst case scenario plays out, the man he’s replacing, Rodriguez, will be ready to step in as a long man. Regardless of the result, it will be great to see Joe Ross back on a big league mound.

Next. Six players who could get the call this September. dark

The Washington Nationals wrap up the series against the Cardinals on Wednesday, with Miles Mikolas facing Tanner Roark. It will be interesting to see if Martinez rotates his players in an effort to get the younger guys in there.

Home/Nationals News