The Nationals know who won’t be in their pitching rotation until at least Sept. 1 of 2011. Star rookie Stephen Strasburg has just begun his rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery and needs at least a full year to recover. So while they wait, what does the rest of the rotation look like?
The final month of the season is the perfect chance to sift through the remaining options. That process got underway last month when John Lannan returned from Double-A and Jason Marquis came back from elbow surgery. The Nats needed to see positive signs from both pitchers. Marquis has allowed six earned runs total in his last four starts. Opponents have scored two runs or less against Lannan in six of his seven starts since Aug. 1.
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Start with those two and add Livan Hernandez, who signed a one-year contract extension for 2011. Hernandez is regressing with a 3.81 ERA now after a poor start Friday in Pittsburgh and has allowed 20 earned runs in his last three games. But counting on someone for 200 innings is still a big deal and at $1 million plus incentives Hernandez doesn’t cost much.
Jordan Zimmermann showed a glimpse of his talent in a dominating performance against Florida last week with one hit allowed, nine strikeouts and no walks in six innings. His return from Tommy John surgery also gives comfort that Strasburg will get back to his old self by the end of next summer. Another option is Cuban signee Yunesky Maya, who made his major-league debut last night. The Nats signed him in July and believe he can be a solid mid-rotation starter. Ross Detwiler, the team’s first-round draft pick in 2007, will also get some starts this month after an injury-plagued season.
So where does that leave Scott Olsen? The 26-year-old, with shoulder issues the last two seasons, has been dropped from the rotation and isn’t happy about it. He is arbitration eligible again this winter and is a non-tender candidate after wildly inconsistent performances since returning from the disabled list July 29.
