So how did Nationals starter Chien-Ming Wang do in his first game since July 4, 2009? Well, six runs, four of them earned, and an awful first inning will temper most of the enthusiasm. Hard to get too excited when you’re down 4-0 after six batters.
But let’s mine that brutal start for some nuggets of, well, maybe not gold. How about silver? Washington manager Davey Johnson said Wang pitched well enough that he will get another start and expects to see him in the rotation the rest of the season provided he continues to make progress.
Wang’s sinker – his critical pitch and the one his early career success was based upon – had good movement and his velocity with both that pitch and his fastball ranged from 88 to 93 miles per hour, according to the Nationals Park scoreboard radar gun. Even at pitch No. 60 to his final batter Wang reached 92. His delivery was “free and easy”according to Johnson.
“I’d imagine he’d be a little nervous, a little excited the first inning you come back,” third baseman Ryan Zimmerman said. “But after that he looked good. He threw a hard sinker with some movement so it’s good to see.”
That is good. But Johnson wasn’t in love with Wang’s arm slot at times. Hard to control the ball if you can’t stay on top of the pitch. Maybe the soul-crushing 101-degree temperature, 105-degree heat index at game time had something to do with that. Wang’s arm is also not yet back to where it was during his days with the New York Yankees. For all we know it may never get back to that point. But the Nats have invested $3 million total the last two years to at least see if it’s possible.
Wang’s breaking pitches were rough. He needs one to at least give hitters something else to think about. He threw about 15 sliders ranging from 76 to 85 miles-per-hour. But the sinker – he threw around 36 of them – stayed consistently at 90 or a tick above. Wang needed 24 pitches to get through that first inning otherwise Johnson may have stuck with him for the fifth. But at 60 pitches in that heat he’d seen enough.
“[Wang is] going to handle the pressure. I’m not worried about that,” Johnson said. “It’s getting his arm built up to full strength. He’ll get better movement, better command, better everything. That’s the kind of start you get right out of spring. Hitters here are in full stride and he got them all feeling pretty good. Usually you get them early in the year and you kind of get settled in as the hitters get settled in. But I was not disappointed in what I saw tonight.”
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