Nationals Starting Pitching Is Not the Biggest Problem After Opening Series
Much was made this offseason about the overall lack of pitching talent on the Washington Nationals roster.
In contrast with the team's impressive stable of young, talented hitters, the lack of established quality arms behind ace MacKenzie Gore was seen as the primary factor that would hold the team back from successfully breaking out.
But in the team's opening series against the Philadelphia Phillies, a team that the Nationals will need to find a way to catch up to over the course of the coming years, those critics were only proven half correct.
The Phillies took two of three from Washington, but it had nothing to do with the performance of the Nats' starting pitchers.
It started on Opening Day, when Gore made one of the best starts in franchise history, throwing six innings of one-hit, 13-strikeout ball against one of the best lineups in the National League.
Philadelphia won in 10 anyway as the Washington bullpen surrendered seven runs (six earned) in just four innings of work.
On Saturday, it was more of the same. Jake Irvin went toe-to-toe with Jesus Luzardo, holding the Phillies to two earned runs over five innings in a solid first start of the season for the intriguing hurler.
The bullpen proceeded to allow nine earned runs on the way to an 11-6 loss in a game that was 2-2 after five. Colin Poche, Lucas Sims and Orlando Ribalta allowed all nine a combined 2.1 innings.
There was no such incident on Sunday, as talented young starter Mitchell Parker twirled a gem, blanking the Phillies over 6.1 brilliantly pitched innings.
Brad Lord allowed a run in his MLB debut, but the other 2.2 innings covered by the pen went by flawlessly, with Jose Ferrer, Jorge Lopez and Kyle Finnegan not allowing a walk, hit or run.
All in all, the three Washington starters combined for 17.1 innings while allowing just two earned runs against a quality opponent.
That's a massive green flag for the Nationals and their fans, as it of course does not guarantee success moving forward, but it's a big checked box in what was certainly a measuring stick series.
The bullpen, on the other hand, can not continue costing the team games like it did twice this week if Washington is going to be a surprise postseason contender.
The unit allowed 14 earned runs in just six innings pitched. It sounds even worse when you add in the fact that they walked 11 batters and gave up five home runs along the way.
If Gore finds a true ace-like level this season and Irvin and Parker can continue to perform near their ceilings, the Nationals will have something going.
Manager Dave Martinez will have to find a formula that works late in games, or Washington could be doomed to the bottom two of the NL East standings once again, even in a year where plenty of things break their way.
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Kyle Morton has covered various sports from amateur to professional level athletics. A graduate of Fordham University, Kyle specializes in MLB and NHL coverage while having previous bylines with SB Nation, The Hockey Writers, HighSchoolOT, and Sports World News. He spent time working the beat for the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes and is an avid fan of the NHL, MLB, NFL and college basketball. Enjoys the outdoors and hiking in his free time away from sports.