Chicago White Sox 6, Nats 3
In light of the series sweep by the White Sox this weekend, culminating with a 6-3 loss on Sunday afternoon, it’s hard to say what’s wrong with Nats left-handed starter John Lannan. After two-and-a-half solid seasons and a couple of Opening Day assignments, Washington figured it had – at the least – a solid complementary piece to a big-league rotation.
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Yes, Lannan is a contact pitcher and those guys are always subject to drastic swings in performance. The more balls put in play the better chance bad things can happen. But the Nats don’t have even a solid No. 3 starter right now. They have a 25-year-old who suddenly can’t figure out why his ERA has ballooned to 5.76. Who isn’t sure why his sinker isn’t delivering the ground balls – and subsequent double plays – that he thrived on in 2008 and 2009. Who is fighting to understand why he can’t hit his spots when he’s been better than this in the past.
But right now Lannan is fighting himself. He can’t keep his pitches down consistently. Nats manager Jim Riggleman noted Lannan’s pitches – especially his sinker – look good in bullpen sessions with pitching coach Steve McCatty. He just can’t bring that with him into games and it’s hurting his team. Riggleman admitted the Nats can’t go on like this indefinitely with Lannan. But he will also make his next scheduled start, providing a few more opportunities to right the ship.
“I think John’s been too good for us to let a few starts detour us too much there,” Riggleman said. “We got a lot of leash there with John.”
But the fact members of the organization even talk about making a change there is startling. Lannan was not supposed to be a hole in this rotation when Washington arrived at spring training. Lannan was disheartened after the game, admitting he’s letting himself and the Nats down with his performances this month. But he also vowed not to give up and to increase his bullpen sessions with McCatty so he can get a better feel for his pitches. That touch, after all, is what makes Lannan effective when he’s on his game.
“Whenever you set your rotation there you count on guys,” Riggleman said. “You might think that there’s a fifth starter that hopefully can get you through the fifth inning. But the rest of your staff you’re counting on – especially you’re number-one guy to get into the seventh inning. So we’re looking for that. And I know John’s looking for that. He’s searching, looking. It’s just not working for him right now.”
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