While the chatter about Stephen Strasburg’s shutdown lurches toward a crescendo, the Nationals remain comfortable with their plans for their ace pitcher. They also can rest easy as their rumored target acquisitions at the trade deadline to fill in for Strasburg have struggled with their new teams.
Zack Greinke might have been the best fit, and he still could be a free agent this winter. But after going 9-3 with a 3.44 ERA for Milwaukee, Greinke is 1-2 in five starts for the Angels with an ERA of 6.19. He has given up at least four runs in his last four starts. In his last outing, Greinke canceled out eight strikeouts with six earned runs and four walks in an 8-3 loss to Tampa Bay.
Things may have turned around for Ryan Dempster, who at age 35 remains a long-term risk but allowed just one run over eight innings in a 5-1 win over Baltimore on Monday. That’s better than the eight runs he allowed twice in his first three starts for the Rangers after moving from the Cubs. Dempster’s ERA with Texas stands at 6.04, nearly triple his 2.25 mark in Chicago.
Even those who were never really headed to D.C. have turned out to be less than advertised. Joe Blanton’s ERA is up from 4.59 in Philadelphia to 7.71 with the Dodgers, and Wandy Rodriguez’s ERA is up from 3.79 with Houston to 5.06 with Pittsburgh. His only solid outing so far for the Pirates came in relief at the end of Sunday’s 19-inning marathon win over St. Louis.
– Craig Stouffer
