There was a simple explanation why the Florida Marlins treated Nationals pitcher Scott Olsen like a punching bag on Wednesday night.
Thankfully for the 26-year-old left-hander it apparently wasn’t because of any lingering affects from an injured shoulder. But the 9-5 loss at Nationals Park stung all the same as Olsen endured one of the worst starts of his six-year career, lasting just 1 2/3 innings and allowing seven runs on eight hits.
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“Terrible pitches,” Olsen said. “You make bad pitches and they hit them. That’s what happened.”
The sport doesn’t get more basic than that. Olsen’s velocity was as high as it’s been all season, sometimes reaching into the lower 90s. That’s encouraging for a player who underwent shoulder surgery last summer and spent over two months on the disabled list this season — again with a sore shoulder. Olsen said he felt fine warming up in the bullpen before the game.
Facing his former Marlins teammates wasn’t an issue, either, Olsen claimed. After all, he knows the Florida hitters well, too. He also disputed the idea that an extra three days of rest between starts – seven in all – was a factor.
“You get your [butt] kicked you get your [butt] kicked, regardless if you’re throwing 88 or 95,” Olsen said. “It really doesn’t matter. You’re still just out there getting killed. It’s frustrating any way you look at it.”
While still pitching for the Marlins three years ago, Olsen lasted just one inning during a July 8, 2007 game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. But a stiff back limited him that day and he really left for health reasons. Olsen’s other two clunkers also lasted just 1 2/3 innings against Atlanta (Aug. 18, 2006) and Philadelphia (July 16, 2005).
It was just the third appearance for Olsen since he went on the disabled list with a sore left shoulder after a May 21 start against Baltimore. He pitched well against the Braves in his first game back on July 29 with two earned runs allowed in six innings. Things got a bit shaky at Arizona last Tuesday, though, with five runs allowed in 5 2/3 innings, including two home runs. And they got much worse on Wednesday night.
“Wil [Nieves] [was] catching [Olsen] the first game back here and he just attacked the strike zone with the fastball and he got a lot of ground balls and a lot of outs,” said Nats catcher Ivan Rodriguez. “I catch him in Arizona and I just did the same thing. He just got a lot of outs with the fastball. So I don’t think he’s too strong or throwing too hard. It’s just a matter of locating the fastball and today he didn’t locate [it].”
This is a critical time for Olsen, who was non-tendered by the Nats in December after he had surgery in July 2009 to repair a small labral tear in his left shoulder. He re-signed with the club, but took a $1.8 million pay cut before including any incentives. Those actually became meaningful on Wednesday when Olsen made his 11th start of 2010. That equaled his total in 2009 and meant he earned a $250,000 bonus. Olsen will get that same amount after his next start with $100,000 for each one after that. But he also must remain healthy and perform well over the final six weeks of the season or a non-tender could be in his future again. The Nats have stockpiled plenty of potential starting candidates for next season. And while many of those pitchers have questions, too, Olsen’s repeated shoulder issues won’t help his cause. But that’s a debate the organization will have two months from now. Olsen still has time to recover from one brutal night.
“As far as next year, those things you add it all up at the end and kind of get everybody’s opinion,” said Nats manager Jim Riggleman. “The coaches, myself, [general manager] Mike [Rizzo] and [team president] Stan [Kasten] will evaluate how we move forward at that point. … But I’m thinking about what [Olsen] is doing out there now. He’s had some good ballgames for us. Tonight he didn’t have a good ballgame. But all we can do is put him out there and see what we get.”
