Riding high after a 10-run inning in the finale of their homestand, the Pirates will embark on a 10-game road trip that starts Monday night in the nation’s capital against sputtering Washington, which has seen its opponents have far too many big innings.
Ross Detwiler will try to stop Washington’s skid on Monday when he makes his season debut. The Nationals’ No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, Detwiler pitched one inning in the majors that season, and he’ll replace Scott Olsen - who’s headed to the disabled list with shoulder tendinitis - in the rotation.
Detwiler is 0-3 with a 2.96 ERA with Double-A Harrisburg, and he gave up a run in five innings Monday against Altoona, a Pirates’ farm club.
Washington try to solve Ross Ohlendorf (4-3, 3.77).
Ohlendorf has given the Pirates a quality outing in five of his seven starts, including Wednesday against St. Louis. The right-hander allowed a run and two hits in six innings while striking out five in a 5-2 win.
The Nationals keep sending out new relief pitchers, hoping one or two of them will manage to close out games for them. They keep failing, but that's not going to stop the Nationals from trotting out new combinations in search of the answer.
Sunday's 8-6 loss to the Phillies -- in which relievers Julian Tavarez, Jesus Colome and Joe Beimel blew an eighth-inning lead -- was the latest in a long line of Washington bullpen collapses. That unit now owns a 1-12 record, 6.24 ERA and 12 blown saves in 18 opportunities.
The organization has made plenty of changes already, having used 13 different relievers despite only five starters. More changes could be on the way, with manager Manny Acta hinting the team could decide to go with an eight-man bullpen for a while.
"If it's going to stay like this, it's going to be different guys," Acta said. "We've showed already that we're not going to put up with this for the rest of the season. If it's going to be contagious, it's going to have to be contagious with different guys. This is not cutting it."
PHILLIES 8, NATIONALS 6: Washington's bullpen blew yet another late lead, thanks in part to a spectacularly botched defensive play in the eighth inning. With the Nationals ahead 6-5 and runners on first and second, reliever Jesus Colome went to field Pedro Feliz's sacrifice bunt attempt. He fired to first, but second baseman Anderson Hernandez (covering the bag) never saw the ball -- Ryan Zimmerman had also charged the ball and raised his right arm as if to throw, even though Colome had scooped up the bunt -- and was astonished as it sailed all the way down the right field line. Two runs scored and the Nationals went on to drop their fourth straight to Philadelphia in less than 48 hours.
NOTES, QUOTES
--RHP Jordan Zimmermann is having major struggles in the opening innings. The rookie right-hander has been scored upon in the first inning of each of his last five starts, leading to an unsightly 19.50 ERA in that inning. After that, Zimmermann's ERA is a solid 3.54, forcing the 22-year-old to try to figure out why he's getting off to such rough starts.
"To be honest with you, this is probably one of the only times I've had to battle through stuff like this," he said. "I'm just going to go look at film tomorrow and try to figure out what's going on. ... If I can just get out of the first inning, everything should be fine."
--LHP Scott Olsen will be placed on the 15-day DL with left shoulder tendinitis. Olsen clearly was impaired on the mound Saturday afternoon; his fastball was topping out in the mid-80s, a reduction of about five miles per hour from his usual max velocity. Olsen said he was fine because he knew he needed to give his team innings and save the bullpen on a doubleheader day.
"He did gain a lot of respect from me," manager Manny Acta said. "His shoulder was a little tight. Still, he did something that probably didn't help him. He was thinking about his teammates. He wanted to go out there, give us as many innings as he could and pick up his bullpen."
An MRI taken after the game revealed the tendinitis, and Olsen was given a cortisone shot. He won't be allowed to throw for at least five days.
--LHP Ross Detwiler was recalled from Class AA Harrisburg (Pa.) to make his first big-league start Monday. Detwiler, the Nationals' first-round draft pick in 2007, was 0-3 with a 3.00 ERA in six starts at Harrisburg, but he was closest to being on schedule among Washington's top minor-league starters. The 23-year-old is still considered a bit raw, but team officials are pleased with the progress he's made this season and are interested to see how he performs against the Pirates. Though it will be Detwiler's first big-league start, he did pitch one inning in relief in September 2007 against the Braves.
BY THE NUMBERS: 12 -- Blown saves by the Nationals' bullpen in their first 18 chances this season.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We have tried everybody and their cousins, and we still can't get anybody to put a zero up there in the eighth and the ninth innings. And it's just killing us." -- Manager Manny Acta, on the Nationals' bullpen woes.
ROSTER REPORT:
--OF Austin Kearns was out of the lineup three straight games over the weekend after getting hit in the left hand by a pitch in the 12th inning Friday night. Kearns was able to take some swings in the cage Sunday morning and said he's close to returning.
--OF Elijah Dukes re-injured his left hamstring trying to run out a double in the bottom of the first inning Sunday and had to be taken out of the game. Dukes, who originally hurt himself in the field Friday night, was back in the lineup for the first time but re-aggravated his hamstring strain in his first at-bat. OF Willie Harris replaced him in center field. Dukes is listed as "day-to-day."
MEDICAL WATCH:
LHP Scott Olsen (sore left shoulder) was placed on the 15-day disabled list May 17. He received a cortisone shot and was not to throw for at least five days.
OF Elijah Dukes (left hamstring) came out of the May 15 game, and he didn't start either game of the May 16 doubleheader, then started the May 17 game but left after aggravating the injury in the first inning. He is day-to-day.
C Jesus Flores (bruised right shoulder) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to May 10.
1B Dmitri Young (strained back and hip) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 1. He was expected to begin a 20-day rehab stint with Class AAA Syracuse in May.
OF Roger Bernadina (broken right ankle) went on the 15-day disabled list April 19, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on April 29. He had surgery April 18, and he will miss a minimum of two months before beginning a rehab assignment.
LHP Matt Chico (Tommy John elbow surgery in July 2008) went on the 60-day disabled list March 28. He will miss at least the first half of the season.