The recent woes of the Nationals’ bullpen have turned what was seen as a major strength as recently as a month ago into something less.
In general, the right-handers have done the job, with just a few bumps in the road. Todd Coffey, Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen have been pretty consistent from day one. Cole Kimball, for the most part, has been what they expected, as has Henry Rodriguez, who they knew would have occasional bouts of wildness but was a legitimate power arm.
The lefties are another story. Last year, Sean Burnett and Doug Slaten combined to give up just 86 hits, 33 non-intentional walks, and 29 earned runs in almost 104 innings of work. Burnett’s ERA was 2.14, Slaten’s 3.10. Both men were still in their prime, and there was no sense anything was going to be radically different in 2011.
Oops.
Heading into this weekend, Slaten — on the DL with elbow inflammation — has a quite deceptive 2.19 ERA. He’s allowed 18 hits and five non-intentional walks in just over 12 innings. Inherited runners are his downfall. Half of the 30 runners he’s inherited have scored, and he’s had command issues against left-handed hitters, the very batters he’s brought in to retire. Has the elbow issue been a contributor to that? The Nats have to hope the time off brings positive results.
Burnett, the lone left-hander left in the bullpen with Slaten out, has also had trouble putting the ball where he wants it. Manager Jim Riggleman continues to believe Burnett will find his command from last year, but with no other southpaw to turn to, he has no plan B to fall back on. Burnett left spring training as the potential closer, and actually racked up four saves early in the season. That gig is Storen’s now, and Burnett needs to find the same happy place he resided last year.
It’s not like there’s another lefty reliever waiting in the wings at Syracuse. Atahualpa Severino, who’s on the 40-man roster, has been dreadful, as has Lee Hyde, picked up from Atlanta this spring. The Chiefs’ reliever with the best splits against left-handed hitters has been right-hander Josh Wilkie, the George Washington product. Wilkie has a 1.54 ERA against them this year. He trained with the big club for a while this spring, but his name doesn’t come up in conversations about prospects very often, which may be due to the fact that he was an undrafted free agent.
At Harrisburg, left-hander Cory Van Allen, the Nationals’ fifth-round pick out of Baylor in 2006, is holding lefty hitters to a .158 batting average. He may deserve some consideration, though scouts tell me he’s fringy at best.
If a veteran left-handed reliever showed up on the waiver wire, the Nationals may have to think twice, particularly if Slaten’s stay on the DL is lengthy. I don’t see a trade happening, but it’s obvious the crossed fingers strategy isn’t working.
Examiner columnist Phil Wood is a baseball historian and contributor to MASN’s Nats Xtra. Contact him at [email protected].
