Well, that isn’t how we wanted the 2010 season to begin.
After jumping out to a combined 6-0 lead in both games, the Lords of Reality reappeared and by the end of the day, the Nationals’ split-squad teams lost by a combined score of 25-9.
The scores are meaningless.
The Cardinals gave up 17 runs and the Diamondbacks allowed 11. Texas put up an 11-spot on Kansas City.
It doesn’t matter than Johnny Peralta gave up three runs in two-thirds of an inning or that Pete Orr went hitless as the team’s starting third baseman against the Astros.
But there are some interesting storylines that emerged from yesterday’s games that may affect the opening day roster:
Brian Bruney was acquired to be either the closer or setup man for the Nationals’ revamped bullpen. He has had an impressive career with once glaring exception: his control.
In 230 games, Bruney has averaged 6.2 walks per nine innings.
How did he fare against his first batter in a Nationals’ uniform?
He walked him.
Bruney allowed two hits and a walk in one inning, surrendering two runs. I guess he will hold the Mike MacDougal chair in the Nationals’ bullpen.
Matt Capps , who will be the Nationals’ closer in 2010, allowed three hits and two runs in an inning of work. But hey, at least he didn’t walk anyone.
Each inning in which Capps gets pummeled this spring makes me wonder if in fact 2009 was not an anomaly.
Garrett Mock couldn’t have been much worse in 2009, going 3-10, 5.62. However, aside from Stephen Strasburg, no one in camp this spring has received as many kudos as Mock.
Whatever is holding him back has nothing to do with his arm or his talent.
Against Houston, Mock allowed just three hits and no runs over two innings.
Forget about that horrid 2009 season; the Nationals are seriously considering him for one of the available rotation spots.
Shairon Martis was near perfect last spring, winning him a spot in the opening day rotation. By the middle of May, he was 5-0, 4.10 and seemed destined for the Rookie of the Year Award.
Over his next eight starts, however, Martis went 0-3, 6.34, walking 22 while striking out 13.
He was demoted to Syracuse in late June and spent the rest of the year trying to find the strike zone.
It was assumed that Martis, a year older and a year wiser, could get back in the team’s good graces with another solid spring.
Don’t count on that happening.
In just over an inning, Martis allowed six runs on six hits against the Houston Astros yesterday.
The Nationals have too many good young pitchers to spend a great deal of time nurturing Martis back from the edge of the abyss. He was just 4-4, 4.96 with Syracuse last season after his demotion so he has yet to correct the problems that are haunting him.
He’s just 22, however, and has plenty of time to find his game.
Drew Storen was perfect in his one inning of work against the Astros. He struck out one and easily retired the other two batters. The Nationals keep challenging their young closer and he keeps thriving.
If he doesn’t get clobbered in one of his appearances this spring, the Nationals will face a real dilemma.
Do they go north with their best relief pitcher or leave him behind because they want to delay his free agent clock by a year?
Their will be “some ‘splaining to do” if he doesn’t make the club.
No one wants to see J.D. Martin in the starting rotation this year.
He is so, well, boring.
He has no name recognition.
He doesn’t have a real fastball.
He doesn’t do anything particularly well.
He was thrown into the Nationals’ rotation last summer in part because of his outstanding 8-3, 2.66 effort at Triple-A at Syracuse but also because the team was running out of starting pitchers.
He wasn’t particularly good in his first four starts but he got better as he gained experience. From August 9 and on, Martin went 5-2, .371 with a .264 batting-average against and a .330 on-base percent.
Of the 12 pitchers who started a game for Washington last season, Martin’s 4.44 ERA was second best.
And yet he’s just an afterthought when the team’s 2010 rotation is considered.
Well, the afterthought pitched two innings against Florida yesterday, allowing no hits or walks while striking out one.
Ron Villone didn’t have much of a chance making the team before he took the mound yesterday and his one-third of an inning performance (one hit, three walks, three runs) probably sealed his fate.
Team management loves him, but the team no longer can carry pitchers because of their work ethic and clubhouse presence.
The same applies to Eddie Guardado , who allowed three runs in an inning of work against the Astros.
Kevin Mench hit a home run against the Marlins yesterday. Mench, 31, played last season in Japan but has had success at the major league level.
From 2004-2006, Mench had a 162-game average of .270-26-86.
But Mench excels against lefties.
For his career, he has a 162-game average of .300-30-91 with a .358 on-base percent and a .542 slugging average. He struck out just 49 times.
Mench could help the Nationals as a fourth outfielder or as the right-handed side of a righty-lefty platoon.
Don’t sweat the two blowouts.
Because of the split squads, the Nationals fielded, in essence, two minor league squads against teams who had their full complement of players.
The 2010 turnaround is still in effect.
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