The Washington Nationals suffered a second consecutive heartbreaking loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday evening. After scoring first in the game for the third straight time and holding a lead until the late innings, the bullpen of the Nationals was once again unable to hold the lead.
As such, despite still the team still guaranteed of being at worst a .500 team at the halfway point of this season after tomorrow's game, it feels like there has been a lot of meat left on the bone. However, if there is any sort of light at the end of the tunnel for Nationals fans, it's that they may have found a new bullpen piece.
Carson Palmquist impresses in his Nationals debut
That piece was lefty Carson Palmquist, who had been acquired in a trade from the Colorado Rockies just under a month ago. A former Top 30 prospect in their organization, Palmquist was an arm that always carried upside, although he had yet to put everything together previously.
The 25-year-old lefty made his Nationals debut on Wednesday night in what was also his first appearance in the majors of the season, and he did not disappoint. Acting as an opener for veteran starter Miles Mikolas, Palmquist looked more like a legit big league bullpen arm for a team that needs them desperately.
Palmquist made it through 3.1 innings, firing 37 of his 58 pitches for strikes, but only allowed 2 hits and an earned run to accompany a walk and 3 strikeouts. The distance he provided to begin the game was intended to give an overworked Nationals bullpen a bit of a rest, but Blake Butera ended up making some fatal pitching choices later on in the game.
However, with Palmquist taking the place on the roster vacated by the demotion of Paxton Schultz after Tuesday night's implosion, perhaps Palmquist will be here to stay if he can continue to get guys out. Given that he has worked as both a reliever and starter at various levels of the minors and in the big leagues, he could provide a bit of versatility that the club did not previously have.
At this point, things don't seem as if they could get much worse, so why not let Palmquist stick around and prove himself for the time being in the bullpen?
06/25 morning update: Carson Palmquist was optioned back to AAA Rochester following Wednesday evening's game. Manager Blake Butera spoke highly of Palmquist and seemed to indicate that he'd likely be back soon, but due to his high pitch count, he likely wouldn't have been able to contribute in the coming days.
What did you think of Carson Palmquist's effort as an opener in Wednesday's loss to the Phillies? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.
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