Nationals left-hander gives up six runs early
It is rarely a straight line for a pitcher when recovering from shoulder surgery. A solid performance can be followed by a disastrous one for no apparent reason.
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Scott Olsen is learning that lesson the hard way. The 26-year-old left-hander, making his second start for the Nationals this season, wasn’t fooling the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night.
He gave up six earned runs on seven hits in just over two innings in an ugly 10-4 loss at Nationals Park. Olsen’s fastball never reached 90 mph and the Colorado batters were right on everything he threw. At one point, six of seven batters produced a base hit, including four in a row to start the third inning.
Reliever Tyler Walker then gave up a three-run double to the pitcher, Jorge De La Rosa, and a two-run homer to Ryan Spilborghs that gave the Rockies a 10-0 lead and effectively put the game away. It was the second time in three days the Nats allowed 10 runs early in a ballgame. Milwaukee scored 10 in the first inning on Sunday.
Olsen had surgery last July 23 for a small labral tear in his left shoulder. He rehabbed for seven months and then reported to spring training unsure what to expect. Washington’s front office and coaching staff were pleasantly surprised that his velocity gradually crept from the low 80s to the high 80s by the time he faced the Boston Red Sox on April 2 — the second-to-last spring training game.
He allowed just one run in five innings and struck out seven against a lineup filled with Boston regulars. After one start at Triple-A Syracuse, Olsen replaced Garrett Mock on the active roster and gave up four runs to Philadelphia last Thursday in 5 2/3 innings. But Tuesday was the inevitable step backward.
“The important thing is that the needle continues to point upwards for [Olsen],” said Nats manager Jim Riggleman before Tuesday’s game. “And that he continues to make progress from that injury.”
