It has to catch up to them eventually. No team can long endure with four of its starting pitchers stuck on the disabled list.
But the Nationals (24-35) continue to receive good starting pitching from the unlikeliest of sources. Wednesday night it was Micah Bowie’s turn — again, the converted reliever allowing just one run and striking out a season-high five batters in the Nats’ 6-5 victory over Pittsburgh (25-34) at RFK Stadium.
“With all the starters going down its been tough to piece it all together,” said Bowie, who made his fourth start of the season since replacing the injured Jerome Williams (right shoulder strain) in the rotation on May 20. “But guys have to do their part. I didn’t want to kill the bullpen tonight.”
It was not his longest outing, but it was Bowie’s best. He held the Pirates to two hits in five innings and for the second straight start pitched into the sixth. Not Cy Young numbers. But still encouraging for a team expecting to plug holes in its rotation for at least another few weeks.
Fellow fill-in starters Mike Bacsik and Jason Simontacchi, have allowed three earned runs or less in five of their 10 starts over the last month.
Bowie’s performance almost went for nothing, however, when relievers Jon Rauch and Billy Traber allowed four runs in the eighth inning as Pittsburgh erased a 5-1 deficit. But they were redeemed in the bottom of the ninth. With two outs, the bases loaded and Ryan Church at bat, the winning run scored on a wild pitch by Pirates reliever Salomon Torres (0-3).
Chad Cordero (1-0) earned his first win of the season by pitching a perfect top of the ninth while striking out Chris Duffy, looking, and Jose Bautista.
