District On Deck
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Washington Nationals: Ways the Nationals Can Right the Ship

By Danny Kelly

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 10: General manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez #4 of the Washington Nationals talk during batting practice of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park on April 10, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 10: General manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez #4 of the Washington Nationals talk during batting practice of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park on April 10, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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The Bullpen Must Pitch Better

The Nationals bullpen struggles are well documented. We’re waiting to see if Trevor Rosenthal can come back to form, which would be a huge boost if he can. Until then, the Nationals can’t continue to sit back and watch this dumpster fire burn while they have potential reinforcements.

Dan Jennings was added to the roster recently. Jennings showed he fits right in by giving up a 3-run, game-deciding bomb to Rhys Hoskins on Friday night. All kidding aside though, I think Jennings is going to be a huge piece to this bullpen going forward, so kudos to Rizzo for signing him and for getting him on the roster so quickly.

Following a beautiful three-game stretch where the bullpen didn’t allow a run, they were back to their old ways over the next five games by giving up 14 earned runs over 13 1/3 innings. That placed the Nationals right back where they were a week ago, dead last in MLB in bullpen ERA.

We’ve seen Joe Ross come up and have some success, although he was shelled on Saturday. We’ve seen Jennings, Austen Williams, Austin Adams, and Erick Fedde all get their shot. There’s still one arm in Harrisburg that deserves a chance.

James Bourque has a 1.15 ERA in 15 2/3 innings with 24 strikeouts so far for the Harrisburg Senators. That’s coming off a season where he posted a 1.70 ERA in 53 innings with 76 strikeouts between Potomac and Harrisburg. The 25-year old hasn’t pitched in AAA yet, but it may be time to give him the call-up.

The bullpen is in dire need of somebody who can get consistent outs. Bourque throws strikes, and his mid to upper 90s fastball will play in the Majors. Wander Suero and Ross both have options left, meaning the club could send one of them down to promote Bourque.

Being that Fedde is now being transitioned to a reliever for the remainder of the season, sending Ross back down to stretch back out would be the Nationals best decision. They’re playing with fire by converting their two best “reserve” starting pitchers into relievers. The Nationals can’t expect their five starting pitchers to stay healthy all season, especially when two of those five are Stephen Strasburg and Sanchez. Having to allow Henderson Alvarez or Austin Voth to start any meaningful game would be a mistake.

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