Washington Nationals Veteran Starting Pitcher in Best Form of Season
The Washington Nationals just wrapped up a brutal stretch of their schedule. They faced off against four different World Series contenders in a two-week stretch; the Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees.
In between, the Nationals did take two out of three games from the lowly Colorado Rockies. Unsurprisingly, against the big boys, they had some struggles.
Washington went 5-7 in those games, showing their age on a few occasions. But, they weren’t embarrassed by any means and avoided being swept in any of the series. In fact, they even won the series against the Yankees with top prospect Dylan Crews making an immediate impact.
One of the reasons that the Nationals came out of this stretch feeling pretty good about themselves was starting pitcher Patrick Corbin.
The 2024 campaign has been a struggle for the veteran. He is on pace to lead the league in losses for a fourth straight year.
In 27 starts, Corbin has been one of the least productive pitchers in baseball this season. He has gone 4-12 with a 5.50 ERA and -0.5 WAR per Baseball-Reference.
In addition to the league-high number of losses, he has also surrendered the most hits (174) and had the most earned runs (90) recorded against him in baseball. That would be the third time in the last five seasons he has held those unsavory titles if they hold.
Despite his overall numbers being underwhelming, Corbin has recently found his groove. Over his last three starts, he has pitched 16.1 innings, allowing only three earned runs off of 13 hits and five walks.
He has struck out 16 over that span, including a 2024 single-game high of eight against the Rockies on August 22nd.
In his most recent outing against New York, Corbin had arguably his best outing of the season. He threw six shutout innings, holding the Yankees to only two hits and two walks with six punchouts.
Four is the second fewest base runners that Corbin has allowed in a start this season. It was the longest he has carried a shutout for, and only the second time this season he didn’t allow a run in a start. The other was back on April 23rd against the loaded Los Angeles Dodgers.
Credit should be given to the lefty for sticking it out and giving the team everything he has. He remains a durable innings eater, providing a young pitching staff with a veteran presence to lean on.
KENNETH TEAPE