The Nationals were able to play out the first week of the season with just four starters, but they're going to call up Livan Hernandez tomorrow to take over as the fifth member of the rotation. Hernandez signed a minor league deal this offseason, so the Nats kept him off the roster until they absolutely needed the extra starter.
The team will have to clear a spot on the 25-man roster to call Livan up, but they do have an open spot on the 40-man roster, so that's not that problem. However, as MASNSports.com's Ben Goessling notes, relievers Tyler Walker and Jason Bergmann could be candidates for demotion, and both are out of options. They would have to clear waivers to head to the minors.
Walker, 33, signed a one year deal worth $650K this offseason, but he's allowed three runs in 3.1 innings on the young season. The 28-year-old Bergmann has appeared in two games so far, allowing a pair of runs in one inning of work. If the team choose to ignore the obviously small sample sizes, they could option 25-year-old Jesse English to Triple-A, who has allowed two runs in 1.2 innings of work on the season. Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post adds Miguel Batista's name to the mix, who's given up six runs in 4.1 innings so far.
Ugh, they can get rid of all of those guys and it probably wouldn’t hurt them one bit. Such terrible pitching on that team, they need Strasburg and Storen ASAP.
Small sample sizes, yes. But on a larger scale, all of these guys are bad. Tyler Walker has never had a good year in which he pitched more than 36 innings. Miguel Batista has been useless for two years. Jason Bergmann is a good guy but can’t pitch.
I’d much rather see English get his shot as well as someone like Martin or Thompson. No point in putting out old crap when the young crap has some potential.
I don’t think the Nats should even be messing with someone like Batista or Walker. Bergmann, eh, I don’t know. Does he have something to work through? Could he work through it, if given a little more time? Martin really should be there-he hasn’t had much of a chance and he does have some room to improve. Livan Hernandez? Don’t even get me started.
Exactly, they tried out these older guys to see if they could repeat some of their past success, but their time is long gone. They aren’t having success now, they didn’t have good springs, so they just don’t belong on the roster, especially when this is a rebuilding team that needs to look at the young talent it can.
It’s also worth mentioning that they faced the Phillies in their first three games, who look to be as big an offensive juggernaut as any other team in the league. The stats would not be the same against the Pirates or the Giants.
Yeah, I know it’s only the beginning of the year, but I wasn’t expecting much from any of these guys, and they seem to be showing their true colors early. Guys like Clippard, Bruney, Burnett, and Capps are good pieces, but when the rest of the pen blows a lead every chance they get, it makes things difficult. English and Martin deserve shots, though. It doesn’t hurt to try one or two vets, but don’t keep them around if they are struggling, it’s not worth it.
Whatever Bergmann is working through, he has been working through it for four years now. I think it’s called “lack of talent,” but I am not sure.
It won’t be long until Storen is pitching quality innings in the big leagues, and I am really looking forward to that.
he is working through a flat, hittable fastball.
I would take the blue jays triple A rotation over the nationals major league rotation.
The Nats have a good minor league system of pitchers but their current SP’s are an absolute joke. Livan used to be a good innings eater but now he is a waste of space and provides little to nothing.
Why the Nats keep using him is beyond me
Teams like having Livan around because he is an absolutely fantastic team guy, helper of young pitchers, incredibly hard worker, great golfer, keep your head up kind of guy. What the Nats really ought to do is employ him as a coach. Yes, I do think Livan is going to be a very good pitching coach someday. How about now?
Teams like having Livan around because he is an absolutely fantastic team guy, helper of young pitchers, incredibly hard worker, great golfer, keep your head up kind of guy. What the Nats really ought to do is employ him as a coach. Yes, I do think Livan is going to be a very good pitching coach someday. How about now?
Livan is a good early season pitcher still, and I believe he will hold the spot down respectably until Strasburg and Wang arrive. I wouldn’t dismiss Lannan, Marquis and Stammen; they just need to be the back of the rotation.
Livan is a good early season pitcher still, and I believe he will hold the spot down respectably until Strasburg and Wang arrive. I wouldn’t dismiss Lannan, Marquis and Stammen; they just need to be the back of the rotation.