We are officially in summer. It is also the longest amount of daylight of the year. The Boys of Summer are set to take the field. The Washington Nationals had two roster moves today, and both Victor Robles (back pain) and Carl Edwards Jr. (shoulder inflammation) go to the IL, with CF Derek Hill and LHP Joe La Sorsa taking their spots on the roster.
The Nats have a 9-22 record in the past 31-games and are on a 61-101 pace, and that is not acceptable. Just more sloppy baseball that resulted in a dugout argument between Robles and yesterday’s starter MacKenzie Gore had to be broken up by teammate Ildemaro Vargas.
Any hopes of winning today are pinned on Nats’ starting pitcher, Trevor Williams. Hill will get the start in center field. He was signed by the Nats as a free agent in November 2022. Prior to that he was a bench bat for Detroit, and actually had a decent season for them in 2021. He was a teammate with Jeimer Candelario in Detroit. La Sorsa was a waiver claim by the Nats two weeks ago, and the lefty made his debut with Tampa this season. His issue is walks with a 6.20 BB/9, but the sample size was small for La Sorsa with only 4 1/3 innings with Tampa before they DFA’d him as they needed his roster spot. La Sorsa’s Triple-A BB/9 was about half of the MLB line, and his 2.0 BB/9 in his entire minor league career was okay.
Of course the proof for both Hill and La Sorsa is what they do now with their opportunities with the rebuilding Nationals. The Robles injury comes in less than a week from his call-up from the IL from a back injury.
“We have opportunities, and we can’t really capitalize on them.”
— manager Dave Martinez said this weekend
The Nats starting pitchers have a combined ERA of 4.65 for 21st best in MLB. What was such a strength for this team is just now one of the weaknesses as the starting rotation is in a deep slump.
Here is how they rank:
No. 5 Starter: Jake Irvin 5.25 ERA
No. 4 Starter: Patrick Corbin 4.89
No. 3 Starter: Trevor Williams 4.50
No. 2 Starter: MacKenzie Gore 4.02
No. 1 Starter: Josiah Gray 3.64
Here is your Baseball Savant Statcast Link for the game.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Washington Nationals
Stadium: Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.
1st Pitch: 4:05 pm EDT
TV: MASN
Radio: 106.7 The Fan radio and via the MLB app
