Ross Detwiler wouldn’t exactly call those six shutout innings of the Braves on Sunday his best effort of the season. But it may have been the most important. Twice Detwiler worked out of jams that earlier in his career – maybe even this season – likely would have spiraled out of control.
Instead, he figured out a way to escape the bases-loaded, no outs third inning and the second-and-third, one out fifth inning with no damage. You don’t exactly want to live that way. But Detwiler has wilted in such moments before. To stand up to Atlanta this time is a positive sign for a pitcher displaying more than a few this month.
“I think [Detwiler] grew up a lot today,” Nats manager Davey Johnson said. “He got a little wild, but he didn’t get overly aggressive and he stayed within himself and pitched out of a tough jam…That was a great effort on his part.”
Detwiler gave up four hits and two walks through those six innings on Sunday. It’s hardly been a smooth, steady ascension for Washington’s first-round pick – No. 6 overall – in the 2007 draft. But the 25-year-old lefty completed his 2011 season with an even 3.00 ERA in 15 games – 10 of them starts. At the very least Detwiler has given himself a legitimate shot to win a rotation spot next spring.
In his final 19 innings of this season over three starts, Detwiler gave up just two earned runs on 10 hits. There were six walks mixed in there with just nine strikeouts so he wasn’t perfect. And things could have slipped away easily on Sunday. But they didn’t and that, at least, is progress.
“I think I kind of scuffled for the whole game, lost the strike zone for a little bit,” Detwiler said. “That’s more frustrating than anything out there when you’re really trying hard, but you can’t throw strikes.”
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