Craig Stammen (2-2, 5 GS, 2.89 runs average, 6.86 IP/GS; 4 quality starts) @ Jeff Suppan (0-2, 5 GS, 5.85 runs average, 5.54 IP/GS; 2 quality starts)
Quick, get ready to keep this straight: the Nationals’ rotation features three semi-familiar faces, pitchers that they just called up in the last couple of weeks to replace injured starters such as Jordan Zimmermann and Scott Olsen (just when you were getting used to the old rotation, too). The righty is making his major league debut this season, and is not one of the recent rotational band-aids. He is a fastball-pitcher; the majority of his pitch selections are either a 2-seam or 4-seam fastball, averaging around 89 MPH. With injuries thinning out a surprisingly crowded rotation, Stammen has a chance to continue his AAA success at the big league level this year.
I’m not saying anything about Suppan. I refuse to. Everytime I say something nice, a terrible outing follows. So, I’ll just say that Suppan is a veteran righty junkballer that needs to use each pitch in his arsenal to record outs, pitching off the plate with his cutter, slider, sinker, change up, and curveball. There. I said something about Suppan.
Collin Balester (0-1, 1 GS, 9.00 runs average, 3.00 IP/GS; 0 quality starts) @ TBA / Tim Dillard (0-0, 0 GS)
It’s Balester time – the young righty is back in the Nationals’ rotation for the first time since last year, and he is going to fight for a rotation spot with Zimmermann and Olsen out. Balester seems to be one of the young, fan favorite pitchers for the Nationals, and his approach is no-nonsense, all power. He throws a low-90s fastball along with a curveball, and that’s about it; there isn’t any other smoke, or no more mirrors for the righty. In a lot of ways, the 23-year-old could be the future face of the Nationals’ rotation; now it’s just a matter of when and how he delivers.
According to MLB.com, this rotation spot is not going to Mike Burns, leaving Dillard to be the logical choice after his call-up from Nashville. The righty is experiencing success in the starter’s spot after moving from the bullpen this season, and the hard sinkerballer will probably make his major league debut this series. Look for Dillard to throw mostly fastballs, along with his slider.
Garrett Mock (0-2, 2 GS, 12.42 runs average, 4.35 IP/GS; 0 quality starts) @ Manny Parra (1-0, 3 GS, 2.50 runs average, 6.00 IP/GS; 2 quality starts)
Yet another replacement starter, Mock was also a familiar face from 2008, when he made his successful debut with the Nationals. According to the Washington Post, Mock is a power pitcher with four pitches, and he will alternate between two fastballs, as well as a meat-and-potatoes repertoire of secondary pitches. For an interesting look at Mock’s life, check out this article from the Washington Post on Mock’s off-season exploits coaching young baseball players.
Is Parra back, or is Parra back? The Brewers’ hard-throwing lefty is putting together a strong campaign since returning from AAA. His worst return outing occurred in his last start, but even that 5 innings, 4 run performance is enough to keep the Brewers in the game. The one thing that strikes me with Manny is that he throws his fastball less than 60% of the time; now that he is returning from AAA with a more aggressive attitude, let’s watch and see if that figure rises.
J.D. Martin (0-1, 2 GS, 7.50 runs average, 3.00 IP/GS; 0 quality starts) @ Yovani Gallardo (1-3, 5 GS, 3.86 runs average, 6.06 IP/GS; 3 quality starts)
The final replacement of the series, Martin pitched two scoreless before rain halted his last start against the Padres. It’s only two starts thus far, but this righty doesn’t mess around – according to FanGraphs, Martin selects a fastball 89% of the time. His main selection looks to be a high 80s fastball, and his second selection is a mid-80s cutters. If I didn’t know any better, I’d suggest that that sounds rather like a younger, hard-throwing version of Mark DiFelice.
Isn’t it beautiful when Gallardo shows his potential and executes that potential with a strong outing? The righty pitched a fine outing against the Braves in his last start, working into the 8th with an acceptable pitch workload, good efficiency, and great results. In a lot of ways, it seems that Gallardo is one of the most hopeful aspects of the Brewers, an indication of future pitching prosperity at a time when the pitching rotation seems in shambles. In that regard, Gallardo remains one of the top NL aces with 100 or more innings (judged by runs prevented).