While the Nats have struggled as a whole this season, they have defeated more than a few star pitchers, including Tim Lincecum, Cliff Lee, Yovani Gallardo, Tim Hudson, Matt Cain, Roy Oswalt, Madison Bumgarner and Tommy Hanson...and those are just the guys who got an actual "L." They haven't gotten cheated on the scoreboard either, scoring 43 runs in these 9 games (4.78 runs per game). Here's a look at how each pitcher was defeated.
April 2: Nats 6 Braves 3
Tommy Hanson did not even make it out of the 4th, as the Nationals brushed him up for 4 runs on 5 hits, with 2 walks and only 1 strikeout. Jayson Werth tagged him for two doubles and Rick Ankiel launched a 2 run homer in the 3rd to help push Hanson to the brink. John Lannan wasn't perfect, but only allowed 1 run on 5 hits through 5 innings. The recipe for success in this game was getting runs early, chasing the starting pitcher and responding every time the Braves scored.
April 17: Nats 8 Brewers 4
It took the Nats four innings to get warmed up, but they came back from a 2-0 deficit to score 7 runs on Yovani Gallardo in 5 and 1/3 innings. While 6 of the runs came on 3-run homers by Danny Espinosa and Pudge Rodriguez, the Nats' bats did not exactly get cheated, with 10 hits off of the big righty, forcing him to throw 107 pitches before being yanked. The Nats won this one by the long-ball, adding to the total with a solo homer by Ian Desmond in the 8th.
April 29: Nats 3 Giants 0
Thank Laynce Nix and Jason Marquis for beating Tim Linecum; Nix went 2/3 with a 2 run homer in the 2nd inning, which provided Marquis all the support he needed, as he went along to throw a 5 hit, 0 walk shutout. Marquis also contributed an RBI single that scored Desmond, who also deserves mention for going 3 for 3 off of the Freak. The Nats beat the Giants this time on one long-ball and solid pitching.
May 1: Nats 5 Giants 2
Jordan Zimmermann rebounded from Nate Schierholtz's 2 run double in the 2nd with 4 scoreless innings while receiving help from the rest of the team. Only Werth (3 for 4) and Adam LaRoche (0 for 2 with 2 BB's) started and failed to score or drive in a run, but neither had an awful day. This was a team win through and through, with contributions from the starting pitcher, the relievers, the starting lineup and the bench.
May 2: Nats 2 Giants 0
I'd feel bad for fans of the Giants, as their offense is horrendous, but they won the World Series last year...not happening. This time around, Tom Gorzelanny threw 8 innings and only gave up 3 hits while Jerry Hairston and Michael Morse each provided a 2 out RBI to beat young star Madison Bumgarner and give the Nats the Curly W.
May 10: Nats 7 Braves 6
The Nats won this game by capitalizing on mistakes, scoring 4 unearned runs (along with 3 earned runs) off of Tim Hudson. Werth and Nix both contributed 3-run homers and the Nats narrowly avoided having Marquis, Sean Burnett and Tyler Clippard blow a 7-1 lead in the 8th.
May 31: Nats 10 Phillies 2
There is nothing on Earth that brings me more joy than blowing out teams from Pennsylvania. Cliff Lee gave up 6 runs on 7 hits in 5 and 1/3 innings, including two Espinosa homers. Morse went 3 for 5 with a double, two runs and two RBI while Marquis lasted through 6 and 1/3 innings, only allowing 2 runs and scoring one himself on the basepaths.
June 1: Nats 2 Phillies 1
Lannan and Roy Oswalt gave up a combined 3 runs, but neither made it past the 5th inning. Despite a million balls in play hit by the Phillies (only 2 K's by Nats pitchers) and limited offensive chances, the Nats pulled this one out due to Nix's homer and fantastic catch.
The Nats hit well in most of the games against these great pitchers, but another common denominator was their own great starting pitching. Wins against guys like Linecum and Lee are good confidence-boosters so it obviously bodes well for Washington to keep scoring Curly W's against elite competition.
Showing posts with label Burnett. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Burnett. Show all posts
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
LVL's: Least Valuable LOOGYs
Doug Slaten
The 2011 version of Slaten is the posterchild for anyone who has ever argued that ERA is overvalued. He's not getting lefties out (.308/.333/.538 against in 2011) and should never face a righty at all (.375/.516/.625). Slaten's walk rate has skyrocketed to 6 per 9 innings, The sparkling 2.25 ERA is a product of having almost 95% of the runners he leaves on base stranded by the likes of Clippard, Storen and company. He's at his worst with runners on base (1.014 OPS against) and with 2 outs (1.208 OPS against). Basically, Slaten's 2010 magic has not been renewed this season.
Sean Burnett
Burnett is not nearly as bad as Slaten has been this year, but you can't tell by his 5.59 ERA. That being said, Burnett has still struggled mightily in 2011, with a K/9 drop from almost 9 to under 5. His control is better than ever, though, and his FIP stands at a solid 3.65. Burnett's contract makes him a better bet to stick around and work out his troubles in the majors, and for good reason in my opinion. He does have tons to work on, though, and in the meantime Riggleman should be reluctant to use him in key situations until his performance improves.
There are no perfect replacements for Slaten or Burnett. Rizzo undoubtedly wants to carry two LHP's in the bullpen (which would be great if either of them could actually get batters out), so that leaves us with a handful of options in AAA and AA:
Oliver Perez has a 0.75 ERA, including 6.75 K's per 9 and 1.50 BB's per 9 in 12 AA innings. He could surely use more seasoning in AA, but so far he has retired 12 of 14 lefties he has faced, with 0 walks and 4 strikeouts.
Atahualpa Severino could get the call if the Nats wait a week or two to make a move. The little lefty made his first appearance of the season on Saturday after starting the year on the DL. His solid 2010 season and place already on the 40-man roster helps his chances of getting called up sometime in June.
Ross Detwiler is another 40-man candidate who needs more time to make a case for the Majors this season. After a disappointing and injury-plagued 2010 season, Detwiler has stumbled out of the gate in 2011, with a 5.77 ERA. His performance is partly unlucky with a .400 BABIP and 63.3 LOB%, shown by his 3.43 FIP. Calling Detwiler up with the sole purpose of sticking him in the bullpen might be seen as a white flag by Rizzo, as trying to get anything useful out of the first draft pick in his tenure in the Nats' front office would be considered a last ditch effort at saving face. I have yet to give up on Detwiler's chances as a starting pitcher, however, and don't think this role would be good for him.
Tom Milone is a personal favorite, with solid performances in high A and AA ball over the past 2 seasons. Milone deserves a shot at the Majors, but I am not sure if this is the one that would be best for him; Milone is a starting pitcher and moving him to a LOOGY role could potentially mess with his development. He is definitely qualified, though, with 7.82 K/9 and 0.71 BB/9 against lefties this season in AAA.
Lee Hyde, a waiver claim from the Braves in March, has struggled with control so far this season (and in his entire career). With 7 BB/9 in AAA this season, Hyde is not going to sniff the Majors anytime soon. He could be useful down the road if the Nats' pitching coaches can fix his control issues, but they have not done so yet.
Cory VanAllen should get over the hump and make it to AAA this year, but I doubt that he will be in the Majors in 2011. His 5.59 BB/9 against lefties this year is discouraging, but his matching 5.59 H/9 and 13 K/9 are encouraging. 2011 is a make or break year for the 27 year old lefty, so he'll really need to improve his control to continue his development.
Chris Manno is the most intriguing player in the Nats' system if you ask me. With a 0.00 ERA, 13.5 K/9, 1.93 BB/9 and 3.1 H/9, he is absolutely dominating high A ball. The 2010 draft pick (also a '09 pick) has been tagged as a soft-tosser with a bizarre delivery, but you can't argue with these results. He's not going to be the first call-up but who knows, maybe Manno gets a September call-up this year if he continues this torrid pace.
My vote: dump Slaten for a RHP and keep Burnett up.
The 2011 version of Slaten is the posterchild for anyone who has ever argued that ERA is overvalued. He's not getting lefties out (.308/.333/.538 against in 2011) and should never face a righty at all (.375/.516/.625). Slaten's walk rate has skyrocketed to 6 per 9 innings, The sparkling 2.25 ERA is a product of having almost 95% of the runners he leaves on base stranded by the likes of Clippard, Storen and company. He's at his worst with runners on base (1.014 OPS against) and with 2 outs (1.208 OPS against). Basically, Slaten's 2010 magic has not been renewed this season.
Sean Burnett
Burnett is not nearly as bad as Slaten has been this year, but you can't tell by his 5.59 ERA. That being said, Burnett has still struggled mightily in 2011, with a K/9 drop from almost 9 to under 5. His control is better than ever, though, and his FIP stands at a solid 3.65. Burnett's contract makes him a better bet to stick around and work out his troubles in the majors, and for good reason in my opinion. He does have tons to work on, though, and in the meantime Riggleman should be reluctant to use him in key situations until his performance improves.
There are no perfect replacements for Slaten or Burnett. Rizzo undoubtedly wants to carry two LHP's in the bullpen (which would be great if either of them could actually get batters out), so that leaves us with a handful of options in AAA and AA:
Oliver Perez has a 0.75 ERA, including 6.75 K's per 9 and 1.50 BB's per 9 in 12 AA innings. He could surely use more seasoning in AA, but so far he has retired 12 of 14 lefties he has faced, with 0 walks and 4 strikeouts.
Atahualpa Severino could get the call if the Nats wait a week or two to make a move. The little lefty made his first appearance of the season on Saturday after starting the year on the DL. His solid 2010 season and place already on the 40-man roster helps his chances of getting called up sometime in June.
Ross Detwiler is another 40-man candidate who needs more time to make a case for the Majors this season. After a disappointing and injury-plagued 2010 season, Detwiler has stumbled out of the gate in 2011, with a 5.77 ERA. His performance is partly unlucky with a .400 BABIP and 63.3 LOB%, shown by his 3.43 FIP. Calling Detwiler up with the sole purpose of sticking him in the bullpen might be seen as a white flag by Rizzo, as trying to get anything useful out of the first draft pick in his tenure in the Nats' front office would be considered a last ditch effort at saving face. I have yet to give up on Detwiler's chances as a starting pitcher, however, and don't think this role would be good for him.
Tom Milone is a personal favorite, with solid performances in high A and AA ball over the past 2 seasons. Milone deserves a shot at the Majors, but I am not sure if this is the one that would be best for him; Milone is a starting pitcher and moving him to a LOOGY role could potentially mess with his development. He is definitely qualified, though, with 7.82 K/9 and 0.71 BB/9 against lefties this season in AAA.
Lee Hyde, a waiver claim from the Braves in March, has struggled with control so far this season (and in his entire career). With 7 BB/9 in AAA this season, Hyde is not going to sniff the Majors anytime soon. He could be useful down the road if the Nats' pitching coaches can fix his control issues, but they have not done so yet.
Cory VanAllen should get over the hump and make it to AAA this year, but I doubt that he will be in the Majors in 2011. His 5.59 BB/9 against lefties this year is discouraging, but his matching 5.59 H/9 and 13 K/9 are encouraging. 2011 is a make or break year for the 27 year old lefty, so he'll really need to improve his control to continue his development.
Chris Manno is the most intriguing player in the Nats' system if you ask me. With a 0.00 ERA, 13.5 K/9, 1.93 BB/9 and 3.1 H/9, he is absolutely dominating high A ball. The 2010 draft pick (also a '09 pick) has been tagged as a soft-tosser with a bizarre delivery, but you can't argue with these results. He's not going to be the first call-up but who knows, maybe Manno gets a September call-up this year if he continues this torrid pace.
My vote: dump Slaten for a RHP and keep Burnett up.
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