Lefty’s success comes after a return to basics While the Nationals wait on Stephen Strasburg’s rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery and bask in a breakthrough season for Jordan Zimmermann, there is more good news in the starting rotation. Left-handed pitcher John Lannan appears to have put last season’s troubles behind him.
That’s encouraging for Washington, which needs more than just those two front-line pieces if it is going to build some depth heading into 2012. So far, Lannan is 8-7 with a 3.56 ERA entering Saturday’s start against the Philadelphia Phillies. He has allowed more than three earned runs in a game once since May 27. Only once did he fail to reach the sixth inning. Not a bad rebound for a guy who was so lost last summer he was sent down to Double-A Harrisburg for six weeks.
“I think it’s just getting out of my own head,” Lannan said last month about of how he deals with rough patches, last year’s included. “Just throwing [the ball] … I have to commit to the basics, go out to the bullpen, throw my sinker and get it back.”
| The Lannan file |
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| John Lannan, 26, was selected by Washington in the 11th round of the 2006 draft. The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder played college baseball at Siena. |
| » When healthy, Lannan has been consistent during his five years with the Nats. He posted a 4.15 ERA as a rookie in 2007, a 3.91 ERA in 2008 and a 3.88 ERA in 2009. Last year he dropped to a career-worst 4.65. |
| » Lannan probably isn’t looking forward to his next start Saturday night. He is 0-4 with an 8.02 ERA in five career starts at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park. |
Elbow pain could have contributed to Lannan’s loss of command in 2010. He suffered a strained flexor tendon in his left pitching elbow early last season. In his first 13 starts he walked 35 batters. In his last 11 after returning from Harrisburg on Aug. 1 he walked 14 total. That hasn’t necessarily been fixed, though. Lannan has walked 54 batters this year, by far the most in what had been a stable starting five until veteran Jason Marquis was traded July 30. That total includes 17 walks over his last five starts since taking a line drive off his face in a July 8 game against Colorado.
So why are Lannan’s overall numbers better? One reason is fewer hits allowed. Lannan gave up 175 hits last season in 25 starts. He’s at 137 in 24 starts in 2011. He’s also one of the game’s top ground-ball pitchers at 54.3 percent. That ranks 14th among starters with 80 innings or more. No surprise then that Lannan is tied for second in double-play groundouts (22), meaning he has had a lot of runners erased without causing any further damage. And that helps because Lannan will never be a strikeout pitcher. Batters only strike out 5.4 times per nine innings against him. Just 30 big league starters have a lower rate, and his career best was 5.8 in 2008.
“I had to realize what I am — and that’s sinker, change-up,” Lannan said. “I’m really not trying to strike guys out. I’m trying to have early contact. I think if I tried to strike out more guys I’d be in trouble.”
